The Dark Dalliance
by Mykella
Summary: Dark: hard to understand, obscure, hidden, secret... Dalliance: amorous toying, flirtation, love affair... AU, clois.
1. The Alpha

Hey guys!

I've decided to start a new story, and this idea was been bugging me since march… And it never left, it only got bigger and bigger as the days went by so… I'm making it a story, and by posting it now, it gives me the motivation to pursue it more seriously.

This fic is an AU, and I'm setting it in dark (_**not**_ sad, gruesome or extremely violent) and raw tones (you'll notice it by the vocabulary and how the characters interacts with each other). This story will revolve around _high emotions, sexual explorations, physical sensations and personal growth._ The rating will go up accordingly to the chapters, so it will be updated as the chapters are posted.

As I said, this is an AU and the details will be posted in the chapters, but if you feel confused or have any questions, do not hesitate to ask. I'll try my best to correct any confusion.

So because it's an AU, many things from the Smallville universe have changed, obviously, lol. Lois and Chloe are following the same path of Journalism, except that Lois is higher up (as you will see in the story), but Clark is… Not Clark… (you'll have to wait, but I'm pretty much clueing you in) and you'll see a few characters on his side of the family (biological), so hopefully that will be fun to write and read.

Do not fear! I'm not dropping '_The Haze_'. I love that story to death, but I've been seriously lacking in the inspirational department lately, and this new fic gives me the opportunity to explore that dark and naughty side inside my mind that I don't get to use much with '_The Haze_'. Where '_The Haze_' is light, sweet and emotional, this one is dark, hard and physical. I'll try my best to update both stories as much as possible and be fair to both fics. Let's just hope that everything goes well.

So, enjoy!

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The Dark Dalliance 

_x-x-x_

Dark: hard to understand; obscure, hidden; secret.

Dalliance: amorous toying; flirtation; love affair.

_x-x-x_

Chapter One - The Alpha

_x-x-x_

1. the first; beginning.

_x-x-x_

Her heart was pounding against her chest, and with each beat, it prolonged a timeless sense of panic straight through her veins. Her breath hitched higher and she forced the air to still in her throat. The pressure that was forming itself inside her chest made the sensation of fear rise as she tried to amplify the capacity of her hearing. No sound resonated between the solid walls, not even an echo reached her ears, and there wasn't any physical indication that someone was looming closely towards her.

Cautiously, Lois took a few steps through the darkened corridor, forcing down the anxiety that was rising inside her throat and desperately trying to hush the dangerous warning of foreboding that rippled through her mind, alarming her on every conscious ground possible.

She could still feel it, a presence, itching closer to her.

She wasn't alone.

Lois's body froze, halting her in mid-stride, and her eyes drifted shut as the irrational thought intensified the warning… She could feel it grasping her senses in a suffocating grip, pulling her mind in a frenzied panic. She inhaled deeply, willing her heartbeat to calm down, it was beating so desperately loud that she suddenly feared that whatever was out there would be able to found her only by the frantic sound of her pulse.

Her eyes snapped open and her mind screamed.

She could feel the presence rising powerfully behind her and a sudden tremor raped her skin, covering it in goose bumps under the high intensity of the stranger's existence.

Still, her body stayed frozen under the dark surprise, and it was too late.

A large hand closed over her mouth, stifling her cries and forcing her breathing to become nothing more than hectic pants. Lois felt a massive arm coming down to encircle her waist and he crushed her arms against her torso under his harsh grip. Her legs kicked as she felt herself being lift up from the floor, her back flattening over a wide, hard, chest and her hands flew upwards, desperately trying to grasp onto anything in order to free herself from the stranger's hold. Her eyes caught a glimpse of a doorway as she felt him move backwards in large, uneven strides until he pulled them inside a dark office and slammed the door shut behind him with his back. Her mind was reeling, confused and lost, as the motions that her body had just gone through had proven to be too fast for her mind to grasp any reality behind it. _What the hell just happened?_

Her gaze slide across the blackened room, the absence of light and the lack of familiarity made her drowned further into her state of panic. She needed to calm down. _Now_.

Everything was dark, silent and motionless, but so fearfully calm.

Under the distressed beat of her pulse and the tightening sensation in her chest, Lois forced her mind to concentrate on her breathing, exhaling and inhaling, as she desperately tried to calm a part of herself. She parted her lips, ready to scream under the pervasive feeling of panic, but the grip he held over her jaw tightened, cutting off any noise she was about to express.

She felt the man's breath slide against her ear, instantly forcing her body to stiffen against his in a drastic attempt to protect herself and making her blood run cold, pushing an icy sensation along her veins, "Don't even think about it." He was whispering, his voice hinting dangerously low.

His words alone forced a feeling of fury to take over her mind, replacing the fear with a vivid determination, and, impulsively, Lois bit down on the hand holding her silent.

Nothing.

The man didn't scream, he didn't jump back and he didn't try to pull away… He didn't even seem to flinch.

She felt his lips grazing the sensitive skin of her ear, and the warmth of his breath against her lobe crashed vividly with the frozen shivers that coursed through her body at his proximity, "Stop it." Again, the voice was low, chilling the rapid pacing of her pulse.

The echo of heavy footsteps suddenly reached her ears, sounding immensely reassuring for the confined state of her mind.

_Wait… a guard? Then why the hell were they hiding in here?_

Her breathing finally slowed down until it fell into a familiar pattern, her lungs clearly exhausted from the overdrive that they had been forced into upon feeling the intensity of her panic. But her heart kept beating wildly inside her chest, still confused, still outraged and still a little bit too scared.

She'd been caught, her mind crashed into the sudden wave of weakness that rose inside her throat. She hadn't even heard this guy coming up, this was usual and frightfully odd for someone within her capacities. How _the hell_ had he managed to sneak up on her?

The somewhat reassuring footsteps soon faded away, but Lois was still being held a few inches above the ground, pinned down against the man's chest. She squirmed in his grasp, but it only earned her a sharp hushing sound in her ear. From under his hold, she started to feel her arms becoming painfully numb, and she couldn't help but let a groan escape throughout the hand he still held against her mouth.

The man seemed to have caught it, and she felt him sigh lightly against her neck and lessen his hold, letting her body slide down the hard wall of his chest until her feet hit the ground. Instinctively, Lois's arms flew up to strike him, but he was faster than her. His hand left her mouth, only so he could slip both his arms in front of hers, locking them behind her back and pulling her flushed against him again with a sharp tug. She felt her palms brush up against the material of his shirt and her fingertips grazed the cooling metal of his belt buckle. Lois growled warningly when she felt her buttocks pressing up against his pelvis. _Bastard_.

"Let me go!" she spoke through clenched teeth and her arms struggled to undo the hold he had over her, as she felt the fast pacing of her anger reach her mind.

This time she felt his lips burning her ear as they came down, crashing against her lobe, while his teeth grazed her skin as he spoke, "If you don't shut up, they'll find us. And I think the last thing we need right now is to get caught!"

She swallowed unevenly as she felt his warm breath escape from his parted lips and the tip of his nose trailing over the arch of her neck before his face backed away from her completely, "You're not a guard?"

She heard him growled from above her as one of his hands came to rest against the back of her neck and his fingers gripped her hair tightly under his growing frustration, "No. Now, would you _shut up_." And he pulled her head back, forcing the meaning of his words to fully enter her mind.

Lois's jaw tightened as she felt her rage rapidly expanding across her chest, searing her senses into defense. In a swift and hard movement, she dug her heel into one of his feet, with every intention of hurting him. But again… He never flinched, instead his lips returned to her ear and he stiffened his arms around hers, forcing her back to arch against his strong chest and her neck to curve into his broad shoulder, "Don't bother, I'm invulnerable."

Her blood froze. _Oh my god_. He was one of them.

Her thoughts were quickly pulled away from him as the sound of rushing footsteps reached her ears again, and she felt her chest tightened, they could only be the guards, and they where heading towards them.

"Check all the doors!" The voice of a, slightly out of breath, man reached inside the dark office in warning.

She heard the stranger curse in her hair and before her mind could comprehend any escape, she felt his hold leave her entirely, if only for the fraction of a second before she felt him pick her up again. A strong arm came down to grasp the back of her knees while the other curved over her back as he pulled her off the ground and into his chest, his gestures proven to be a little too protective. Instinctively, her hands flew up to grip the collar of his leather jacket for any kind of stability he could offer her.

Lois's eyes quickly drifted shut as she felt him move backwards with so much strength and so much speed that her mind could barely clung to the reality of the moment. Through the impact and the noise, she felt his body collide with the door, forcing it open, and instantly, she heard voices rise alarmingly around her as the guards had only caught a glimpse of them.

His next move terrified her as she finally realized that he never stopped pulling his body backwards. She bit down on her lower lip, swallowing the strangled cry that was about to escape her as the threatening sound of glass shattering completely filled her sense of hearing, it was the only thing resounding inside her mind. She felt the sharp edges of the glass slip pass her face, but she never felt the pain of it grazing her skin.

Reality strangely sneaked into her senses, filling her mind with frightening details that she wished hadn't entered her awareness. He had jumped out of the window… And they had been on the 24th floor.

So they fell, surrounded by the glistening pieces of the broken glass and through the deafening silence of the night as their bodies yield into submission under the laws of gravity.

The air stopped in her throat, never to reach her chest to become a necessity, and it left her gasping, struggling to breathe as she felt her body surrendering to the feeling of vertigo that invaded her mind and reached for her senses with a devoted persistence. Although the night's events had taken an eerie turn, she couldn't help but find an immense sense of reassurance in that fact that he was the one holding her firmly against him as they kept falling rapidly towards the ground.

Abruptly, she felt a powerful shudder go through his body, echoing into her own, and his hands tightened around her frame as he pulled her deeper into his chest. It had been the only indication that made her realize that they had finally stopped falling and that they had landed a little too forcefully against the ground. Carefully, her eyes fluttered opened and she felt her chest constrict itself under the absence of oxygen, her breath was still lingering mid-way inside her throat. Her pulse had heightened to a dramatic velocity and she still couldn't find the will to breathe properly. Still, her eyes surveyed her surroundings quickly, noticing the building standing so tall before them and the broken concrete under his feet, the only evidence of the impact from their downfall.

Lois willingly closed her eyes as she felt the air finally reach deeply inside her chest, reassuring her senses that she still had the capacity to breath. But her senses were quick to regain their panicked state as everything around her vividly morphed into an unknown scenery, destabilizing the strength of her core and forcing another fearful feeling to irrupt inside her mind. Everything turned into a blur of darkness and the only sound or sensation that invaded her senses was the violent rushing winds that insisted to surround them of their sharpness.

Once more, he came to a staggering stop and the only indication she received was the sudden change in the winds. Now, it blew lightly across her face, reaching for her skin as if it was trying to teach her how to breathe again. She felt the stranger lower her and her feet reached the ground faster than she would have wished. Under the shock, she faltered against him and her lungs reached out into the night to draw in a long breath as she tried to regain her balance against him, her fingers still curled into his leather jacket, unable to let go. She felt his hands coming down to grip her hips firmly as he tried to stabilize her against him, forbidding her body to give out under the pressure of the many uncertainties between them.

Her awareness quickly caught on to the reality, and Lois couldn't help but feel flustered over the sudden events. She breathed in deeply, desperately trying to regain any sense of calm she could grasp. Tentatively, her gaze trailed over the stranger, obvious that her curiosity had caught up with her mind quicker than any common sense could.

Black boots, dark blue jeans, black cotton t-shirt, black leather coat… and then his face. Her eyes lingered over the sharpness of his features, a look of surprise quietly making its way present in her gaze. He couldn't have been much older then her; a handsome face, a masculine square jaw, unruly black hair and a pair of piercing blue eyes started back at her, seemingly holding a great interest into her appearance as well.

She breathed in forcefully, still trying to regain a vital control over her mind, but his scent instantly got caught in her awareness; masculinity, warmth, and leather… It made her almost painfully aware of how close they truly were from one another. The realization immediately made Lois stepped out of his grasp, brushing his arms off her, and she turned around to view her surroundings, desperate for a distraction.

They were in Metropolis Park. Stunned, her gaze slid back to him, they were at least twenty miles away from were they had previously been.

"Where do you live?" his voice came out solid, almost tipping into the verge of coldness.

Incredulously, she gaped back at him, "What _the hell_ did you do?"

The man sighed and afforded her an irritating glare, "I saved that pretty little ass of yours, you tipped off a silent alarm. You almost got us caught!"

Again, her eyes surveyed her surroundings, that wasn't exactly what she had wanted to hear.

He groaned and took a few steps towards her, trying to regain her attention, "Where do you live?" he repeated as he let his hard gaze travel down her body, and Lois couldn't help but try to suppress the shiver that shoot through her spine.

Who did he think he was?

"I'm not gonna tell _you_." her gaze matched his before she walked passed him, heading towards the exit of the park. She needed to call a cab…

She felt him follow her, falling behind in her steps and forcing an uneasy feeling to creep inside her chest, "I'll take you home." His voice had never exceeded the irritated tone, and it clearly took that little to aggravate her as well.

"Yeah… I don't think so." She threw back at him, her legs parting in long strides on the soft grass.

Still, she could feel him behind her, "I'm not going to hurt you." He replied, his voice still bearing the undertones of his annoyance.

Lois rolled her eyes, "I prefer walking!" What was he trying to do?

A violent gust of wind blew against her neck, chilling a part of her to a stop, and he stood in front of her so suddenly that she almost collided into his chest. She was forced to take a step back as she felt his height dominating her.

"It's nearly three in the morning, and you're going to walk home?" He looked back at her skeptically.

She wanted to growl at his tone, he seemed to be as annoyed with her presence as she was with him. Again, she stepped to his side, "I'm considering that my odds are better with the streets than with you."

The rushing wind made her froze again and he returned in front of her, effectively blocking her gateway, "If I'd want to hurt you, I would have already done it." He angled his face closely to hers and she noticed with a pang of fright that his blue eyes had hardened at her stubbornness. Somehow, what he had said didn't let her fear slip away. "I got you here, at least let me take you home."

Lois rolled her eyes, clearly showing off an image of her irritation, and silently informing him that she wasn't going to let him intimidate her, and that, in any way he could possibly imagine, "No, I'm good." she snickered in his face and moved to his side again in another attempt to leave.

Another violent wind breezed against her neck, and even through it had happened a few times before, she couldn't stop her body from freezing under the foreign feeling that crept inside her stomach. As he stood in front of her, her eyes slid across his features as she noticed his lips parting again, but he didn't even utter a word, instead his eyes locked on to a certain point above her own gaze.

Wordlessly, he dared to reach a hand up towards her forehead, and she felt his thumb brushing against her skin. Her eyes trailed over his features, as a look of pure fascination crossed his face. He brought his thumb back in between their bodies and she noticed an intense substance gleaming across his skin. It was her blood… she had been cut, and she hadn't even felt the pain of her wound.

Her eyes traveled up from his hand to his face, he looked mesmerize by the sudden weakness he saw and his total demeanor changed. His confidence had shimmered down to make him appear as even-tempered as she could have been, and his features softened as he was faced with the fragility she presented him with.

His voice broke her train of thought and he instantly regained her attention, "Where do you live?" he repeated, again, but his voice was marked, as if an emotion was filtering through his tone.

And it completely threw her off, "It's fine… I'm…" She trailed off when she noticed him scolding at her, and she couldn't help but think that it was probably because of her stubbornness again.

With a swiftness that she still couldn't comprehend, she felt his strong arms circle her lower body and a massive limb pressing firmly into her stomach.

He had hauled her over his shoulder! Who _the hell_ did he think he is?

Lois opened her mouth, ready to protest fiercely against the primitive way of his action, and her fists instantly came down to hit his back. Unfortunately, the violent winds came rushing back, forcing her body into a state of breathless shock. Barely a few seconds had past before they came to an abrupt halt. Her fingers had twisted painfully into the dark leather of his jacket and she was gasping to breath as the blood rushed to her head, making her ache under all the pressure and sudden twists the night had taken.

She felt his hands trailing up against her thighs, then over her buttocks as they came to grasp her hips, his fingers digging into her jeans. He bent forward to let her body slide down closely against him, making her hips graze his dangerously and forcing her chest into his own, stronger one, until her feet reached the ground. Lois inhaled a panted breath and she felt her cheeks flush under the intimate contact he had forced between them.

His hands still gripped her around her hips as he balanced her body against his and their chest rose against each other as they inhaled closely together. She could only stand there in frozen surprise as he lowered his head towards her face, his lips suspended over hers, and his piercing blue eyes holding her gaze, "You're welcome."

And in another rush of wind he was gone, leaving her breathless to stare up at her apartment complex.

* * *

Yeah, I know there aren't many details about what is going on in the first chapter, but the second one will give you more the premise of the story. I just had to make them meet! 

Well, I hope you guys liked it, I hope that it gives you the feeling to want more and I hope that the writing felt 'real'.

I also posted it, because I wanted to know if this might me worth pursuing or not. I know that you probably didn't get much from the first chapter, but hopefully you get an idea of what kind of story I'm going for. If you guys don't like it or you don't feel the appeal, just say so, and I'll probably drop it completely. So give me your opinion. Thank you!

So that's about it, until next time!


	2. The Interest

Hey everyone!

Finally, here is the second chapter. This chapter pretty much sets the premise of the story and also includes a 'back-story'. It was long (6272 words and 14 pages… I've never written such a huge chapter) and hard (it was more like a challenge for me, anyways), but I loved writing it! So hopefully, you guys will enjoy it and learn more about the AU I set and experience less confusion.

I just want to thank everyone who reviewed, I was actually nervous about this story since it doesn't usually fit in the 'style' that I write and it made me deliriously happy to see all the positive feedback. So a big and special thank you to:

xSmile, SV, blutak, Jamie Lane, Amy, klandgraf2007, MissAttentionSpan, CharmedDestiny, Nikka, Cra-Z-Praise, OHyea, CypriotJasmine, Nora, Libranfate, DaggerPen.

You guys are the best.

So enjoy!

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The Dark Dalliance 

Chapter Two – The Interest

_x-x-x_

1. the feeling of a person whose attention, concern, or curiosity is particularly engaged by something.

_x-x-x_

His fingers flew across the light-colored virtual keyboard, the process of his thoughts and his growing curiosity exceeded a higher speed to the ones of the sophisticated computer. He searched through the intensive database, his eyes fixated on the images flashing before him, but his audition was expanding towards a higher ground, alert to any footsteps that would close in on him.

Thousands of names appeared in front of his eyes, staying within his sight for not only a fraction of a second before disappearing. Until, he made it stop completely. He found it… He had found her, but he soon realized that he was also the one being found as heavy footsteps echoed in his ears and their trajectory was leading its owner to him.

Locking the profile into the computer's memory, he barely had the time to send it to his personal account, never to be seen by anyone else but him, as the soft distinct swish filled the elaborate computer room. With a few touches over the keyboard, the precious profile disappeared from preying eyes and a newspaper article came into view. The muscles in his shoulders relaxed as he hit the back of his chair and his features slide into an undisturbed and hushed façade. His eyes bounced from the screen to the solid invulnerable ice-covered walls until they landed on the prestigious figure of his father.

"So you've seen the news."

He had to keep his lips from turning into a sneer. "Unfortunately."

His father glanced at the article covering the incident, before turning his undivided attention back to him. "It's all over the world and it's being broadcasted on almost every channel. Needless to say, that was something that could have been avoided."

His eyes turned apologetic, gracing his father with a sincere form of regret. "I know and I'm sorry. It didn't go as plan. I tipped off a silent alarm and had to make an immediate getaway." But he lied, covering something that he felt he should feel ashamed to admit. In only a few words, and in only a few previous actions, he had taken the fall for a human. He would soon be faced with disappointing eyes from everyone around him, and he couldn't help but feel the stupidity of his actions taking a toll on his ego, and it even reached for his guilt.

"Then you run, you hide. You do not crash through a window and leap off the 24th floor of the building!"

He swallowed dryly, his pride barely making room for his words to be spoken. "There was nowhere to hide and I was afraid that they would have felt me leave the building, and I didn't want them to get anymore footage of me on their cameras. The faster I got away, the less evidence would have been found." He didn't even fool himself.

His father raised a questioning eyebrow at his answer. "But with this little stunt, you confirmed to the entire world that it was one of us who did this and the distinction that we make when we run at high speed feels like a breeze to humans, they probably wouldn't have even though of looking for us on their security cameras."

He frowned, his eyes rising to meet the ones his father. "They're not that stupid. And it feels more like a whirlwind to them than anything else." He swallowed unevenly as strong flashes of lustrous hair grazing his skin, of fingers gripping his jacket and of a comfortable, warm, body pressing against his torso flared inside his mind and he even had to bit down on the inside of his cheek to keep his mind from remembering the sensations that had spike through him when his hands had grazed up against toned thighs and a firm backside. His mind instantly centered itself, as he noticed his father's glare, obviously not pleased with the remark.

Again, his pride was so difficult to swallow. "I panicked. It won't happen again."

"It better not. I trust you and I made the council trust you. You know that we are not supposed to be on their grounds, this will only raise the panic… And it already has." His tone gained a sorrowing note and it was all it took for his father to maintain the utmost respect that everyone had for him.

He held his father's eyes, promising his confidence. "It won't happen again."

He nodded. "I know it won't, but you'll have to apologize to the council and explained your mistake." He paused, "Were you able to find anything?"

He shook his head. "No, I'll have to go back." And his eyes hardened, unsure and fearful. "Unless you're planning on taking the task away from me or taking away my privilege of going out."

"Kal-El." But his father's eyes softened and his voice conveyed nothing short of the diligence he held for his son. "I trust you and you've earned your right to explore this world, and you've proven strong enough for this assignment. It's yours for the taking."

_x-x-x_

Lois's hand curved over the warm cup, bringing the coffee to her lips, as her eyes trailed over the recent edition of _The_ _Daily Planet_, reading the article for a second time that morning.

'_Kryptonian breaks into private research laboratory_'

'… _Many guards offered the same testimony. A man of tall stature burst through a door, clearly pulling it off its hinges, and then crashed into a window thus falling off the 24__th__ floor of the building. Unfortunately, no other description of the Kryptonian has been offered. The witnesses confirmed that the man had landed on the ground unharmed before disappearing into the night… _Troy Laboratory of Modern Research_ has become a highly reputable private facility over the years and is currently the third most expensive research facility in America. Their studies in various fields – including neurobiology, chemistry, cell biology, genetics, astrobiology, computer science, robotics and the list can only go on- ranks _T.L.M.R._ as being one of the most prominent, successful and visionary laboratories of its generation... The vice-president confirms that nothing has been stolen, but they are still confuse as to why the Alien race would show interest in their laboratory…The Secretary of Defense has not given any statements as of late…And as always, the world is still left with an ever-growing curiosity, one that is still serving as a pathway to many fears and anxieties. All prejudice and opinions aside, the world only desire and deserve one thing, to feel secure in a place they call home._'

Fortunately, nothing in the article confirmed her presence at that particular scene. She was safe, but him… With a heavy undecided sigh, unsure if it was out of frustration over the warnings and the well-worded jabs or over her own mind for getting caught up in it all, Lois folded the paper and tossed it on the couch next to her, that article just fed the concern and the close-minded apprehension that the population held over the alien race.

Bringing the mug back to her lips, Lois's eyes glance up towards her front door as it opened to reveal a petite joyous blonde.

"I come bearing breakfast." Chloe declared proudly as she tossed a paper bag to her older cousin.

Lois placed her cup back on her coffee table and raised her hands just in time to catch the warm offering. "You're early." She stated, her fingers opening the bag and taking in the aroma. "Hmm… Croissant."

"I slept over at Jimmy's." Chloe replied, kicking off her shoes and dropping her jacket over the back of a chair.

Lois smirked. "Who would have thought that your relationship would have so many advantages?"

"I know, it's so much easier than to drive from Smallville every morning… Or suffering a sleepless night on your couch."

Lois smiled mischievously at Chloe as she took a seat next to her. "Like your getting much sleep over there anyways."

Chloe slapped a pillow lightly on Lois's head and her teeth grazed her lips, trying to hide her amusement. "We're taking it slow."

Lois raised an eyebrow, "Why? You guys already-"

Chloe shrugged her shoulders, a bashful grin taking over her features. "I know, but we want to make it work."

Lois only smiled, knowing it was enough to convey her thoughts over the cuteness of their couple and biting into her croissant, she handed one to her younger cousin, who only raised a concerned eyebrow her way before reaching over to brush off her bangs clear off her forehead.

"What happened there?"

Unconsciously, Lois's gaze drifted towards the edition of _The Daily Planet_ that was harmlessly laying between them and her lips parted a little too rapidly, her mind still hesitant over her answer. Lois could only feel relieved when she noticed Chloe's eyes drop between them and her hand instantly caught the newspaper as she carelessly flung it between them.

Chloe's eyes were blazing, transforming the concern into disbelief. "You actually went?!"

Lois raised her shoulders, the sheepishly expression she proudly displayed answered the question. "Come on… You can't be that surprised-"

"You told me that you weren't going to go." She threw back sternly.

Lois could only match her cousin's look with one of her own. "Listen, something came up and I decided to re-take the story. I went, I snooped and I got out. That's it."

"Lois-"

"Chloe, please. Just drop it." She propped the croissant in Chloe's hand. "Eat."

Chloe grimaced, but she pulled her mind away from the subject, probably not finding the strength to reprimand her older cousin. Still, her eyes suddenly light up as she grasped the new twist in the story. "Wait! Did you see him?!"

Lois sighed and grabbed the paper out of her cousin's hand, while glancing at her sideways. "Yeah… He actually got me out of there."

"Whoa! Wait… You actually saw him up close." Chloe's eyes sparkled with an undeniable curiosity. "Do you even know how rare that is!"

Lois dropped the newspaper on the coffee table and her hand reached for her cup. "I've hear statements that others have seen them-"

Chloe was quick to correct her, intentionally wanting her to grasp the uniqueness of the situation. "But they were never official. It was only a glance here or there… And since they _literally_ mirror our appearance, there's no telling if it was really one of them, plus-"

"With all those outrageous theories out there, we never know what's true and what's not." Lois finished the train of thoughts and stood, directing herself towards the small kitchen as if she was trying to evade the pounding interest of the blonde.

Chloe followed and perched her upper body on the island that now separated the two. "Exactly, but you saw one in action. This is huge! So tell me exactly what happened."

Lois grimaced, the after taste of the rescue was still breaching her awareness. "Nothing… Apparently -his words, not mine- I tipped off a silent alarm. Guards came our way and he just grabbed me and burst through the window."

"And fell off the 24th floor of the building before disappearing into the night." She quoted with a conceited and amused smirk.

Lois looked back at her, a glance of advantage, and her fingers turned on the coffee machine, renewing its elixir. "He moves fast."

Chloe raised her eyebrow, "What?"

"The 'disappearing into the night' is actually him running as fast as he could." She explained before taking a seat on one of the high chairs around the kitchen's island.

Chloe's mind grasped the new information, evidently viewing it on a personal ground. "Wait, he left the scene with you?"

Lois cocked an eyebrow in her direction, "Yeah… And the next thing I know we were standing in Metropolis Park."

"And then he just left you there?"

A powerful rush of annoyance filled her mind as she looked back at the nocturnal event. "No. He didn't!" Her voice reached a higher note as the incredulity of the night before shot straight through her thoughts. "He could've had, but he didn't! He asked me where I lived and when I refused to tell him, he threw me against his shoulder, ran again and dropped me off in front of my building. How did he even know where I lived?"

Chloe's lips parted and a doubtful expression acrossed her face. "Maybe… They can read thoughts…?"

Lois snapped her gaze back to her cousin, her eyes narrowing slightly as she swallowed dryly. "You're not helping."

The blonde perched her chin in the palm of her hand as she watched Lois grab the pot of coffee off the heated plate. "Well, when you think about it… It was kind of nice of him to save you."

"Save me?" Lois threw an incredulous glance at her cousin, the pot of coffee hanging in mid-hair by the sudden stop of her movement.

She raised an eyebrow, her lips playfully turning up the corners of her mouth. "Lois, you would probably be at the station if he hadn't been there."

Lois pursed her lips together and filled her cup with the warm liquid. "Well, he didn't save me… If it was anything, he tried to kidnap me... and he probably would have brought me back to his lair to do test on me if I hadn't been so stubborn!"

Chloe rolled her eyes while she moved to her right and opened one of the cupboards. "Oh, that's nice Lois! Be one of those closed-minded people we hate." Her hand reached high for a mug.

Again, Lois couldn't help but grimace and she let the façade fall. "I'm kidding." She let out a sigh of frustration. "He kind of bruised my ego. I never even heard him come up behind me!"

Chloe hoisted her body up on a chair, facing Lois and dropping her cup between them. "What did he look like, anyways?"

Lois shrugged and filled the cup before her, displaying an act of disinterest that collided directly with the sense of curiosity she felt last night, and the one that still hadn't left her. "Young, like 20 or 21… Tall, black hair and blue eyes… A sharp jaw…"

Chloe shook her head and an excited smile caught her lips. "I can't believe you meet a Kryptonian!"

Lois's fingers twirled a spoon around her mug, blending all the ingredients it contained. "We didn't really meet."

"Did you two talk?" Chloe asked, mirroring her cousin's action.

"No. Just the whole 'Where do you live' incident." And she raised the cup to her lips, pleased with it's savor.

"It was still nice of him." Chloe spoke tentatively as she brought back the finer aspect of the meeting and she lifted the coffee to her own lips.

Lois looked back at her thoughtfully, her mind couldn't seem to grasp to complexity of the situation. "I don't know…" she shrugged her shoulders in slight confusion. "I just don't know. There was something… But, he wasn't _nice_… He was annoyed by me…He was controlled, guarded and harsh…"

She raised an eyebrow. "Like you?"

Lois frowned and her lips tightened. "Thank you, Chlo."

Chloe gave her an apologetic smile. "I'm kidding, so you two clashed, it's okay, I get it. If I would have been in your position, I would have asked thousands of questions-"

A sudden dissatisfaction slithered between her senses, as she realized that her cousin hadn't grasped the seriousness of the issue. "Chloe, the guy came up behind me, put his hand over my mouth and kept me in his death grip until the guards found out where we were. Then he escaped, with me in his arms, and took me to a dark park surrounded by trees at two in the morning. What do you think was going through my head?"

The flash of fright and regret was instant and it gleamed in her eyes. "Yeah, you're right. I would probably have freaked."

But it was Lois who felt the sharp pang of remorse, the panic filtering through her tone made it sound harsher that she would have liked. "Well, I didn't freak. And he didn't hurt me. It was just… Unexpected."

Chloe's lips broke into a considerate smile and her eyes danced around Lois's face as if she was studying her conscience. "So, are you going to write an article about it?"

Lois raised her arms to the counter. "I would, it's a great opportunity, but I can't risk them figuring out that I was there. It's too obvious. Besides, there's already an article about it." Her eyes glanced at the coffee table as a disapproving thought sneaked its way inside her mind. "And it's just making things worst. '_All prejudice and opinions aside, the world only desire and deserve one thing, to feel secure in a place they call home._' Opinions and prejudice aside?!" Her dubious gaze fell back on the blonde in front of her.

Chloe's tone proved to be nothing more than the voice of reason. "But he's just voicing all the tension that's around that subject. It's not something we can ignore. They're aliens from another planet and they live on our grounds. We have proof that they have these incredible powers and that they're years ahead of us, intelligently and technologically speaking… What is the public suppose to think? Even me, sometimes I have to wonder… Are they going to get to us?"

Lois had to yield. "Yeah, I know what you mean. They could assimilate the human race, destroy our planet, and put 'earthlings' in slavery…"

Chloe's hand moved in rapid circles. "And the list goes on and on."

Lois frowned, marring her features in curiosity. "When was the last official report we had on them?"

Chloe raised an eyebrow. "You mean, the one and only."

Lois felt her lips part as disbelief sprung inside her mind. "You've got to be kidding me… The only official report we have is from 1989?"

Chloe's arms parted to her side. "Well, there was nothing else to add. The Secretary of State and the Secretary of Defense meet up with the Leader of the race and they came to the agreement that we have now."

Lois's gaze fell with an interested suspicion. "I find it almost unbelievable that after 18 years we still have so little knowledge on them."

Chloe's hand cupped the warm mug of coffee. "It's a shame more than anything. I mean they live in this immense palace made entirely out of ice and they don't seem to be using any of our resources. Their technology must be _immensely_ advanced for them to function independently. I mean… They could really help us, discover the space and cure diseases. God, their potential must be unlimited."

Her mind was still caught in the obscure wonder. "But then, we have the dark side… The one where, apparently everyone one lives in fear of what the Kryptonians are going to do next. I mean, it's been 18 years… and we have no answers and they made no move to harm us. We don't know why they choose our planet, we have nothing on how they function… We have nothing on their health, their education, their roles or values. It's as if we're living in total suspense all the time."

Chloe perched her head to the side in recognition. "Yeah, but we've also grown accustomed to them being here. I think, in general, people have like one, two thoughts about them per day… Maybe even per week." She raised her shoulders weakly, as if the toll of knowing, wondering, was too much to bear, to much to think about. "And maybe it's better this way. Politics and national – international- safety pretty much conceal us from knowing anything. They have an agreement with our country, we allow them to stay on our soils as long as they don't interact or meddle with us and our affairs. And…" Her eyes turned dim, overcast by the weight of a shadow that came from the beginning of this foreign conflict. "The entire world has seen what they were able to do. The strength that they showed and how ruthless they fought against our army… Is it that hard to believe that the Government prefers to stay out of their affairs as long as it keeps us safe?"

Lois's mind remembered a darkened day, remembered the stress readable on her father's face and that deafening fear in the eyes of her sister. That day where everything had changed, where myths had been broken and where each individual had shared the same anxiety. "And after all this time, nothing really changed… We were just lucky not to have a body count that day."

Chloe nodded her head in agreement, but the small smile was tight on her lips. "I guess it's the thing we're most thankful for… They could have killed every single one of them."

"But they didn't- "

A fastidious knock resonated through the apartment, pulling them away of their trance of remembrance as they both looked towards the source of the sound.

Standing up, Lois walked towards her front door, swiftly pulling it open. "Sara," she recognized.

Her neighbor gave her a nervous smile. "Hey Lois."

Her eyes dropped to the ground as she noticed a suitcase and a duffel bag at the young woman's feet. Lois's gaze traveled up to meet the concern features of her neighbor. "Is everything okay?"

Sara shook her head, light-brown hair falling back against her shoulders. "No. My mother was in a car accident and she was rushed to the hospital-"

Lois's eyes widened slightly and her breath caught in her throat. "Is she okay?"

"The doctor said she was going to be fine, but… It was pretty serious and she hasn't woken up yet." Tense gestures lead Sara's hand to her purse where she pulled out a folded piece of paper and hand it to Lois. "Listen, can you give this to a secretary at Met. U., it's an e-mail from the hospital saying that it's pretty serious and that I really have to go see my mother. Anyways, I'll come back with a valid paper explaining why I missed all my classes. I just don't want them to think that I don't want to go-"

Lois reached for the woman, her hand softly grasping her forearm. "Don't worry. I'm sure they'll understand."

An anxious smile slipped passed her lips. "Yeah, I know. I just wanted to make sure." Sara bent down to retrieve her bag. "My boyfriend is going to stay at my apartment while I'm gone. If he does a party or plays his guitar to loudly don't hesitate to give him a piece of your mind." She chuckled apprehensively. "I won't be there to keep a tight leash on that stupid thing. I swear he loves that thing more than me! Men and their electric guitars… He thinks he's a rock star."

Lois chuckled at her rant, but still offered her a reassuring smile. "I'm sure your mom's going to be fine."

Sara nodded again and took a deep breathe, tired over the stressed pattern of her speech and concerned over the events that were probably biting at her consciousness and overwhelming her with worry. "You're right… You're right. Okay! I better go." She turned around grabbing her suitcase, but before she could fully make her way out of the apartment, she turned back towards Lois. "Have you heard about The Kryptonian that broke into that laboratory?"

Lois cleared her throat, the sudden change of direction catching her off guard. "Yeah, it's… everywhere."

Sara raised a concern eyebrow towards her. "Do you know anything else? Since you work…"

"I don't and I haven't been to work yet." Her reply was rushed, as if she had practice the words out of protection.

Sara glanced worryingly at Chloe before her gaze lined up with Lois. "I swear… We already have to deal with crimes, poverty and terrorism. Now we have to deal with them roaming freely in the streets. I can't really be surprised that they broke the agreement… God, nothing's safe anymore."

Lois swallowed unevenly and she softened her tone. "Tell your family I send my best."

Sara only nodded, her gaze in between anxieties and taking a few step back, she rapidly made her way down the hallway and down the flight of stairs.

Lois closed the door as silently as she could and her stern gaze fell back on Chloe. "Let's just change the subject."

The blonde offered an ironic smile. "Did you find what you were looking for?"

Lois's shoulder fell under the sentiment of failure and under the pressure of another nocturnal visit. "No, I have to go back."

_x-x-x_

Kal-El jumped, the strong muscles in his legs releasing the pressure and his arms parted to his side in solicitation as he dug deep inside him to bring forth the unrestrained force of his potential.

It was power, and he felt it awakening inside his veins, traveling through his entire body as if it was his only mean of vitality… His only mean of survival. It consumed him, breathing inside his body when his lips parted to inhale, pulsing in his chest every time his heart made him live and at this very moment, he was surrounded by that power. At this very moment, he was unstoppable - rising strongly above the doubts and shattering the fear - as he flirted dangerously with that thin and fragile line, that line that he desperately wanted to cross… He wanted to become invincible.

Against his better judgment, he resigned himself into opening his eyes and he was welcomed by the pureness of the silvery snow below him and by the clarity of the azure-shaded sky above him. Kal-El turned his body into a trained position, ignoring the sense of instability that crept hauntingly inside his chest, and he balanced his mind into holding only one thought. He wanted to fly… He needed that power.

However, his awareness perceived a weakness. A frailty existed inside his mind, one that left him utterly confused and that always kept him locked inside the suspense of wanting to know where it had come from. It became a doubt, and he felt the pressure of gravity fall against his back. It was pressing onto his shoulders as if the weight of an undefined world was upon his care and it pushed him down, forcing him to accept that he had been defeated by the natural laws that this planet possessed. Instead of regaining control over his own body and pushing his ability to its extreme, he acknowledged his own weight that was cutting through the fury of the glacial winds… He was falling. The lonely thought made him lose that power, that unattainable power that was just a breath away from being his and he could almost feel it grazing his lips, and he was never able to stop the rapid descent of his body.

With a hard and resonating thud, his back collided with the heavily white-covered ground and his mind stayed mildly stunned with the event. He was left laying against the untainted snow with a sense of sheer failure striking against his consciousness and he desperately wished that he could feel the piercing coldness of the snow penetrate his skin instead. But it never did.

His blue eyes gazed up towards the sky, it was expanding beyond its limits; swallowing the entire world he lived in, and he felt it looked down at him in mockery. As if it was saying that, he could never conquer it, as if it was daring him to try… And fearing him to succeed.

Kal-El held so much power in such an undecided little mind, but he also seized the pressure and the uncertainties that it brought through clenching fingers, unable to let any of them go. Their place in this world was threatened and their adopted home was rejecting them, which only served to prove that it was their ultimate and constant fate. It was as if they had been designed to receive the greatest of powers, only so they could serve as an example that nothing was what it seemed. They had become a breathing legend, but they were still perceived as being disguised humans with intentions made of scorching fire. For all these residents they were the living truth of the unknown, a truth that was left undiscovered and that made them feel an undeniable fear, but for him, he felt like he was an illusion, because ultimately… Humans never saw past their concealed gaze and they felt a forbidding anxiety every time they even dared to try, even if they were tempted by the sin of curiosity… They lacked the boldness to see the defined reality behind the darkened veil.

And as time went by, things never really changed. Through soft-spoken commands, through rigorous learning and through the meaning of their lost heritage, he had changed. Kal-El had grown, passing his body into becoming the one of a man and pushing his mind into reflecting the ones that the most brilliant beings held. He had shaped his identity into being what everyone wanted to see.

He grew and turned; he learned and complied, in front of so many eyes… But things never really changed.

Until now… How could one even identify when the course of a life had shifted?

For him, it came as a powerful feeling of foreboding, one that was blazing in a dark corner inside his mind… And he knew that _something_ had shifted.

Unconsciously, his eyes had focused on the man floating above him, it brought his thoughts back to the unaccomplished task and to that power he left behind. His gaze moved away, locking on an invisible goal hidden between the clouds as his father landed carefully, almost too casually, next to his fallen body.

He made it seem so easy.

"Maybe we should try a different tactic." His words where harmless, but the disappointment in his tone left an untraceable scar across his chest.

Kal-El's eyes drifted towards his father's looming figure. "What are you suggesting?"

Jor-El pursed his lips together, as if he never wanted to say the words. "Instead of having you jump off the edge of a cliff and acquire the power of flight through a heavy calculated leap, maybe we should go slower."

Slower… He didn't want to go slower, if anything, he felt like he needed to push harder. "As in?"

"We'll center you. We'll start by floating, making you rise with each lesson until you can focus all your energy and attention on that only power."

Kal-El's teeth came down hard, hard enough for him to feel the distinct pressure spike through the muscles of his jaw. "But I'm already focusing on that only power." And he never even tried to cut the irritation and arrogance out of tone.

His father smirked at him and his eyes drifted around the icy crystalline scenery, amused and pleased to witness his persistence, but at the same time, it was as if he was holding an entire length of untouchable knowledge between his lips, "Apparently not enough."

_x-x-x_

He couldn't help it, annoyance filled his mind, attacking his senses the second his eyes caught sight of the young woman laying comfortably across his bed. She raised her torso upwards as he entered his room, placing her weight on her palms, and flipped the long length of her blonde hair behind her shoulder.

She angled her head to the side in cockiness and a fire, mixed from curiosity and amusement, shimmered in her eyes. "Did you manage to fly yet?"

Kal-El threw a piercing glare in her direction as he moved around his bedroom with strong and precise strides. "No. Now get out."

She snorted, but still a smirk was caught in the curve of her lips. "Don't be like that. It was only a question."

He turned his back to her, blocking the younger blonde out of his sight as his fingers grasped the edge of his shirt. "And an unnecessary one. I know you were watching." With a quick movement of his wrists, he lifted the damp material off his strong, defined torso and over his broad shoulders.

"Well, I have to keep myself amuse with something." She held everything in her tone, the innocence of her arrogance, the wink of her mockery and the apogee of his annoyance for her.

And he had no patience for any of it. "Kara, out!" His voice mounted towards a growl and his glare bared his irritation.

She huffed at his abrasiveness and rolled her eyes over its occurrence. "I'll be nice. I just wanted to know how it went last night."

His eyes closed involuntarily, as if he was concentrating on grasping any feeling of failure that flashed through his mind. "You know how it went." He extended his arm to his right in a rapid gesture, throwing his shirt in a corner of his bedroom.

"Yeah, I know, you got caught… I just wanted to know _how_ it went. What did you see? And how far did you go? How did it _feel_ to be-"

Her questions flew through his mind and he was reminded of her ever-growing interest over the outside world. He promptly turned towards her, in features displaying his lack of empathy in the subject. "Kara! I'm not in the mood right now."

Her jaw tightened and she let the disappointment show through her eyes. "It's not fair! You get to go out and see that stupid world, the least you can do his enlightened the rest of us who are waiting for the opportunity!" Kara raised herself to her knees and her hands made their way to her hips. "Maybe if you weren't so self-absorbed you'd see how the rest of us feel!"

With rapid speed that almost matched his own, Kara leaped off his bed, but Kal-El's hand came down to grip her forearm and he dragged his stubborn cousin over to the edge of his bed until they could sit next to each other. His eyes leveled with hers, but he was still able to maintain his superiority. "Kara, I know how you feel and I know that you're _irritatingly_ curious. But right now, you need to give my space, alright?"

Her eyes softened and her lips involuntarily formed a pout. "Fine. But it's not-"

"Fair, yes I know. Listen, if I were you I'd let the 'I want to go explore and have my freedom' speech drop for a bit. I heard my father and yours talking earlier and their thinking about letting you learn how to fly. Focus on that."

A bright smiled caught on to her features and she raised her chin at him, "Really?"

Kal-El shrugged his shoulders, "Yeah. I don't get the point, but-"

She only rolled her eyes, the small smile still flirting with the corners of her mouth. "Screw you." And she shoved him in an affectionate manner, before making a quick exit and leaving him to his own devices.

His eyes danced around the room, taking in the relaxing shades of white that gleamed, almost undetectable, from the walls of absolute ice and he relinquished the calmness it held.

He liked the contrast.

Where the architecture of his home was precise and sharp in structure, artful and striking in design, and harmonious and tranquil in atmosphere… His mind felt like a battlefield, boundless values staged the arguments, conquering ideals were convicting his thoughts and rigorous teachings imposed the responsibility he owed to his world… His mind was undefined and blurred, skillful and cautious, and hostile and distracted.

Every thought was free to roam, every temptation was free to tease and every emotion was free to lash out.

And that was exactly why he hadn't made the slightest gesture to go to his personal computer. A weakness was held in there, a weakness that had the potential to conquer him if he wasn't careful, a weakness that could make him fall…

Kal-El laid down on his bed and he forced the muscles of his back to relax, whishing that his curiosity could do the same, actually wishing that it could disappear entirely. He swear he could feel it growing inside his mind, begging his awareness to surrender and he feared that he would never be able to make it cease.

With a resolve that he didn't dare try to find the source of it, he stood from his bed, forcing his body to walk over to his computer. With a small movement of his hand, the large monitor awoke and greeted him in his first language. With a few precise tap over the touch screen, he was able to view the file he had sent to himself earlier.

It was unopened, forbiddingly displayed right before his eyes. He could erase it, banishing it from his mind as well, or he could see it, feeding his curiosity with a piece of information that he desperately wanted to see.

Kal-El's teeth dug into his cheek and he overlooked that sense of foreboding that screamed inside his mind.

He opened it and he was able to see the source of the tempting thoughts inside his mind.

* * *

(Grins) I'm so happy that it's done! The third scene is my favorite one and it was actually the first I wrote for this chapter. 

Anyways, I pretty much clued you in on how the third chapter will go. And just in case, I do not create a character just for the fun of it(I know how much irritation can come with an OC), and every character you saw does have a purpose in the story.

If you have any questions, don't hesitate!

Please review and leave your thoughts!


	3. The Predilection part one

Hey guys!

I'm sorry for the long wait, I've been off on vacation, but now I'm back.

Okay, so as to not make you guys wait longer, I've decided to divide the third chapter. So, I bring you Part one, and the second part should be up in the next few days. I think that this way it's going to be easier to read, because at the rhythm that I'm going, chapter three is pretty lengthy (and not finished yet).

I just want to say a big thank you to everyone who reviewed, you guys are amazing. And it makes me so giddy that you're loving this story and loving the whole 'Kryptonians live on earth' thing.

Big and special thank you to:

lois lane is my hero, lois mars, mysterious girl, CindyB, klandgraf2007, MysticWolf1 (I'm really trying to balance everything out in this story, the plot is very important and also very complex because of the AU that I've created. This story is a little more romance driven, but the plot is tightly entangle with it and it furthers the tension and the suspense. And don't worry, I'm trying my best not to fall in clichés and anything sappiness. It's actually why I'm using Kal-El instead of Clark. I wanted something rough, dark and arrogant, so that's where I'm going. Hopefully, you'll enjoy my story!), DaggerPen, CyprusJasmine, CrazyLikeaFox

First, for those of you that are interested, I just want to clear a something up.

This story is major Clois (well… Kalois, now I guess.), but since you guys are wondering what's going on with The Kryptonians in this AU, I'll raise their conception and their involvement on Earth more than I thought I would. I'm not going to go as deep as what the government thinks and all the political issue, because, first, it could be boring and second, this is a romance (with a bit of suspense) and I really want to keep it that way. So you will know what happened and how many are there on Earth, but their interaction will be limited to what Kal-El sees or what he is involve in.

Okay, that's it for now, so if you guys have in questions, again don't hesitate and please review!

Enjoy!

* * *

The Dark Dalliance 

Chapter Three – The Predilection

_x-x-x_

1. a tendency to think favorably of something in particular; partiality; preference.

_x-x-x_

Part one

He bared a distinctive devotion for these congregations and he always listened attentively to each word that was spoken, his mind cautious to their meanings and pulling the duality of his thoughts to the surface. He could either yield or defy, but considering his youth, his inexperience and his shortfall in the totality of knowledge, he had to kneel.

Kal-El stood near one of the many crystalline pillars that supported their Fortress, trying to gain a certain comfort in the shadows, and his arms were solidly crossed over his chest while his eyes never even tried to blink from the scene below. Far down the center of the prestigious chamber, four Kryptonians were seated around a carefully and artfully crafted round table. His father stood before them, letting his words sooth any discomfort they envisioned and at the same time, he was able to ease the guarded minds of all the citizens witnessing the decree.

The members of The Council listened, grasping every word with an avid hunger of reassurance and the spectators stood on the high-balcony, mesmerized by the flow of Jor-El's speech and waiting for the realization of his words to sink into their minds.

A gentle hand curved over his bicep, silently nudging him for his attention. His gaze shifted to his right and a grateful smirk caught the edge of his lips as he noticed his mother.

Lara leaned into him and he let his face drop forward to grasp her words. "You did well. Your speech was eloquent and modest." She paused and he could almost see the pride in her smile. "You reminded me so much of your father."

Kal-El stole a glance downwards, witnessing the gracefulness in his father's dialogue and the distinguish confidence he held within himself, but only and carefully displaying the humble side of it to the onlookers around him.

He balanced his head backwards, unsure if he wanted to relieve the tension that had flooded into the strong muscles of his shoulders or if he wanted to have a better view of what was expected of him, of what was waiting for him with open arms, ready to embrace anything he had to give. "Thank you."

With only the kindest of intentions she added, "I'm proud of you." And no matter what, including the actions he would take or the words he would speak, that sentiment she held for him would never waver.

He moistened his lips, as if the blow he had received to his ego had left him thirsty for some relief. "I made a mistake." His intention was never to mare the esteem she had for him, but he wanted the calmness of her voice and he needed the insightfulness of her words.

"Don't worry about it, it's the only way we learn and I have to admit, I would have been slightly disappointed if you hadn't."

Kal-El raised a questioning brow. "That's nice to hear."

Lara chuckled softly and tightened her embrace over his arm. "You need to experience this through your eyes, through your ideas. You can't fully understand the responsibility or your training if you don't feel the downfall of it."

His eyes narrowed more out of perplexity than any animosity he could hold against her. "I thought the whole purpose of training was so I couldn't make any mistake."

Lara sighed softly. "You have to live it and feel those emotions that pain you, after you'll be sure to avoid them. It's nice to know the consequences, it centers your judgment, but feeling your mistakes makes you realize exactly what you should be doing. It becomes so much more personal than any piece of advice someone can give you." A smile graced her features and as if sensing that he was dubious to her shred of wisdom, she continued on a lighter note, "Beside, perfection is utterly boring and if humans knew anything it's how to appreciate, to it's full extend, the flaws of others."

"So you're saying that we're superficial."

She threw a soft glare is way. "Never mind, it's just something that I've witness."

Still, a smile made its way to his lips. "Thank you."

"It's what I'm here for." Lara paused and a shadow tainted her eyes, "I'm worried about you."

His neck snapped and he observed her guardedly. "Why? I'm fine."

"I realize the pressure-," she stated carefully, knowing how fragile that boundary was.

He clenched his jaw, as if he was trying to crush the reality of the situation. "There is no pressure."

His mother favored him with a frown of disapproval, but it soon shifted towards another source.

Kal-El turned his head towards the focus of her interest and he could only gaze down at a young boy. He was perched behind a tall pillar of brightening ice and his eyes were captivated by the display of heavy politics and by the esteemed men that were discussing their current state of affairs.

"He must have escaped from class." Lara's voice quietly reached his ear. "I'll take him back."

Kal-El's eyes returned to his mother, recognizing the chance of an appropriate and useful gateway. "No, let me." He quietly left her side, watching out the corner of his eyes as his mother returned her wholehearted attention downwards, her gaze landing faithfully on her husband.

With watchful eyes, Kal-El walked over to the boy, who quickly straightened and took a step back once he had notice his ambushing figure.

The boy's features slipped into an air of regretfulness. "Kal-El…" He trailed off, unsure and frighten, his voice was marred by his innocence and its undertones held a nervousness.

He extended his hand towards the young boy and without hesitation, he grasped Kal-El's palm between his small fingers, letting the tall Kryptonian lead him out of the impressive chamber.

His eyes drifted towards the young child. "You're supposed to be in class."

"I heard that the council was gathering… I was curious. I wanted to know what it looked like."

Kal-El took different turns and passed many frozen rooms before he stopped in front of the learning chamber and he kneeled in front of the boy, wishing to give a piece of his own knowledge and maybe even relieve a pressure that the young Kryptonian had yet to perceive. "You shouldn't preoccupy yourself with that… You're still too young to understand to full meaning of what goes on between these men. At this very moment, your education is the most important thing and you'll never be able to comprehend what goes on inside that chamber if you don't concentrate on your classes. Alright?"

The child nodded shyly, as if he was feeling overwhelmed and quite special for receiving such advice from him. "Then one day I could become strong like you?"

Kal-El smiled, it seemed that the thirst of obtaining their full potential was a distinguished trait in their race. And hope was never given enough. "So you could surpass me."

The boy smiled genuinely and entered his classroom without a drop of rebellion in sight. He watched as the door closed behind the child and his eyes caught sight of the Kryptonian woman who was teaching the class, a smile formed over her lips and she bowed her head in appreciation.

From his standstill, Kal-El nodded politely before disappearing from her view and letting the older woman continue her teachings. But he never went far. Just outside the doorway, his back hit the glacial wall as he searched for deliverance and he stretched his audition, hoping to grasp a meaning that had escaped him.

He caught the voice of the teacher and he let her words flow into his mind.

"There are five members of the Council. Back on Krypton, the Council held many scientists around its table and all had equal footing. Today, we owe much respect to the House of El, considering the various roles they have played throughout our history and how they were able to save whatever they could of our civilization. Which is why today The Council is represented by the El family, four other prestigious scientists are also part of the Council, accommodating them with their vital input regarding any matter that we face, debating on many ideas and discussing our ethics so that our world can fully function…"

There was pressure and he could feel its fingers digging deeper into his shoulders.

_x-x-x_

And she could finally breathe.

Her strides were precise and forethoughtful as she stepped outside the luxurious office, the décor noting that its owner could only reflect overambitious thoughts and carefully considerate plans. She palmed her USB memory key, sliding it into the pocket of her leather jacket and she inhaled deeply, listening to any sounds that could come her way as she soundlessly closed the door behind her.

Lois took a few steps into the familiar corridor, the darkness was as deep and heavy as it had been before, and her eyes darted towards the windows, noticing how every single one of them was the perfect reflection of the other. She couldn't even recognize the one that had been destroyed out of sheer physical strength, a strength that had come from a very determined mind.

There was only a soft echo reaching her ears, the sound of her footsteps faded flatly in the shadows, but a growing anxiety was creeping inside her chest and it made her shudder with familiarity, causing her lips to become dry and forcing her tongue to dare out, moistening them.

She was feeling it again… Him.

The memorable panic was shivering inside her veins, lashing the frenzied emotion into her awareness and a forbidding sense of yearning rippled through her mind, adding an excessive pressure on the insatiable interest that gripped her tightly between frozen fingers.

He had somehow seared himself in her memory, his presence being an unforgettable shadow that was looming carelessly between her thoughts and he provoked her curiosity, awakening it with the tempted palms he had trailed over her a few nights ago. It was as if he had deliberately left a few sensations behind for her to dwell on. He left his breath, teasing against the sensitive skin of her throat. He left the burning warmth of his strong arms, plaguing her body restlessly. He left the damaging tone of his voice in controlled whisper in her ear. He left the inkling of his hard chest against her back, letting her senses imagine that he was always waiting behind her. And he let his hands in her hair, pulling her back demandingly into his remembrance and tugging her face backwards, leaving her with the impression that his lips were dangerously seeking hers.

And now, she could _feel_ him… The chilling sensation he was able to rouse inside her seemed so much less erratic and unpredictable, but it came out more striking and inescapable against the caving walls of her awareness… She was almost baiting him to found her again, but only in a hush and fragile prayer.

But how could he possibly be here again?

And since when did time favored her? Or maybe it was on his side?

And how was she able to recognize him? How did she even know that this time she wasn't wrong?

She had seen so many illusions, the ones that were the quasi-perfect reflection of him… God, how many times had she woken up in the middle of the night, her body breathless and her mind trembling? These illusions were leaving her panting in the mist of a darkened dream where heat rolled off her body in chilling caress. Her sheets would be left tugging between her thighs and the edge of the material would graze lazily around her hips, leaving the cool night air to whisper longingly, throbbingly, against the damp skin of her back and around the length of her long legs. It left her thirsty for an unknown satisfaction, it left her yearning for a sensual fight and it left her craving for an emotion of unrestrained fury.

She wanted something that she couldn't quite grasp… It was shielded behind a detectable veil, and she couldn't see what it was or what it would mean to her if she had it.

He couldn't be here. He wasn't here…

Breathing in too forcefully between parted lips, Lois carefully rounded a corner, crouching and balancing her entire weight on her knees as her back slide down the wall. She peered around the angle, trying to distinguish any sign from the hallway she had just come from. Nothing was there.

But a warning flared inside of her, it swelled in the depth of her lower back and it was reaching up her spine before cupping the back of head. It was alerting her and under the high intensity of the presentiment, Lois whipped her head around, but time didn't even leave her any seconds to react.

A large hand caught her wrist and fingers dug against her escalating pulse. He moved faster than her thoughts, but the panic inside her was matching his quickening gestures as it rose towards an indescribable stage of fright. He pulled her up on shaking legs and he forced her body into the wall, making her chest rise painfully in a strangled gasp under the harsh and uncaring blow. Seconds weren't even recognizable because he moved in between them, she felt a strong and hard body pressing up against her delicate form, invading her carelessly as his palm covered her mouth and fingers grazed her jaw in an attempt to silence her.

With the independence of only her right hand, her fingers flew to the wrist that was keeping her in a hush paralysis and her nails tore at his skin, desperately trying to lessen his hold. She felt his hips pressing into her stomach as he firmly pinned her to the wall while his hand raised her captive wrist above her head.

As he halted in his motion, satisfied with the capture, everything fell around them and a deafening and untouched stillness enfolded their bodies. Her senses were rising sharply towards their climax, recklessly trying to distinguish something that would be able to ease her startled mind. The frantic beat of her pulse crashed vividly with the silence surrounding her and she could feel the echo of a warm breath over the skin of her cheek. Lois inhaled forcefully and the motion caused her mind to snap vividly. Her heartbeat stumbled over a few precious seconds and she suddenly lost the sensation of balance in her legs as she caught the scent of masculinity, of warmth and… God… Of leather. Finally, her eyes flickered upward and her gaze caught piercing blue eyes.

_Damn it._

Her eyes narrowed into a strong glare, little pieces of it were for her own imprudence for being caught by him again, but the near totality of it was directed solely at him for thinking that he had the privilege to invade her this way. Lois pulled at his wrist again and never loosened the pressure it caused in her arm, silently ordering him to let her go. Instead, he ignored her attempts at freedom and he angled his face towards hers, his eyes flashing in hard control and his mouth hovering above his palm, a hand away from lingering over her lips, and he made a soft hushing noise.

The calmness of the sound infuriated her, pushing her mind towards the limits of her anger and she growled in his hand while her nails still and vainly tried to discourage him.

"Calm down and I'll let you go." His voice was firm and unbroken, never acknowledging the harsh position he held her in.

Her glare darkened at his words and at the implication, she was never one to be toyed with, if anything, she liked to be the one playing with the strings, carefully wrapping them around her fingers with considerate thoughts. Lois felt her heartbeat descending towards a safer rhythm and she felt the urge to groan when she realized that the pending restfulness was brought on by the knowledge that _he_ was the one holding her this way. Even if his actions screamed for dominance, she wasn't ready to let him indulge in the control her held between his fingers. Lois secured her fingers over his strong forearm and pulled with a steady force as she mumbled an indistinct command, ignoring his demand just like he was ignoring her plea. His eyes danced around her face and the muscles in his jaw tightened, unsatisfied when he realized that she wouldn't willingly comply to him.

Rolling his eyes under his growing frustration, he let his hand drop from her mouth. "What are you doing here?" But he didn't step away, as if he was afraid of the turn the situation would take if she gained equal footing in their meeting.

Unsure of his next move, Lois kept his wrist between her fingers. "What are _you_ doing here?"

His eyes hardened, assuring her that he wouldn't give anything away and revealing his disappointed when he realized that she was doing the same. "Didn't you learn anything from the last time?"

She threw an incredulous glare at his bold attempt to discipline her. "Didn't you?! You're the one whose exploits were splashed all over the newspaper."

Again, the muscles in his jaw flexed and his eyes found hers. "Only, because I was foolish enough to save you."

Her teeth came together, as if she was trying to limit her resentment to her thoughts. "No one asked you too! And your help wasn't well-received! And foolish is quite the word, your family must be so proud of you-"

He caught her off, bringing his hand higher up to cover her mouth. He had move so fast that she lost her grip on his wrist and her fingers curled into the shirt that was stretching across his chest, surprised at the sudden movement. His eyes shifted and his brow came together in concentration, he was distracted and it only served to fuel the irritation she had for him.

Quickly, her hand came up to grasp his and she felt relieved when she was able to pull it away. "You have to stop doing-"

He frowned and his face came too close to hers. "Shh!" His nose suddenly grazed hers and his mouth was suspended above her lips. He was letting his breath tease them dangerously as if it was a warning that he was ready to silence her in any way he could.

Wordless, he took a few steps back and, by the firm grip that he still held on her captive wrist, he urged her body off the wall and forced her to follow him.

Lois tried to pull him back. "What are you doing?!"

But he pulled harder and with a sharp tug, he brought her arm clear across his back, making her body collide into his. He leaned his head close to hers, his nose grazing her temple and his lips cautiously stopped next to her ear. "Don't make a sound."

Unwillingly, her body stiffened at his proximity and a spark of anxiety coursed through her stomach. She wasn't even able to recognize what was making her react to him so intensively, but she actually wanted to scream, throwing her enmity at him for actually having the audacity to think that he could command her. Still, because of the darkness that held them and the unlawful position they were in, she couldn't help but feel that he had the advantage.

Retaining a few guarded thoughts, Lois followed him down the hallway as he led her four doors down and he twisted the last one open, pulling her inside another dark office before he entered after her. Finally, he unfolded his fingers from around her wrist and she swore that she could still feel his strong hold over her skin.

He pulled the door closed and moved in visible and quick strides across the office. He came near one of the big windows, unlocking it and pulling it open with a swift movement of his arms. Skillfully, he braced himself, his fingers grasping the each side of the window's frame, and he eased himself out the opening, his feet landing back on the small exterior skirt of the ledge that wrapped around the entire the building and he turned his body to face her.

Lois approached him carefully, noticing in almost disbelief that it only took his strength and the minimal of his effort to be able to hold himself on the outer edge of the office. His legs were propped by the border and one of his hands gripped the relief of a large grayish brick that solidified the edifice, keeping him in perfect balance.

"Two guards are making their rounds on this floor. And they're about a minute and an half away from checking this office."

His voice was able to break through her amazement and her gaze darted back to his. His eyes were tracking her face, looking for any kind of emotion that he could witness and his features had maintained the solid control that he seemed to be afraid to lose. Lois's eyes soon hardened in a glare, he had deliberately sidetracked her here, knowing that he would be her only chance at a silent and undetectable exit. The nerve he had… and she couldn't even figure out why he was doing it, but she wanted to test him, and she wasn't ready to grace him with the appreciation of knowing that she would willingly rely on him. Lois perched herself on the side of the open window and her eyes surveyed the vast downfall that lead off the 24th floor of the building.

"Then you should go." Her gaze landed back on his face, wishing to toy an emotion out of him.

He remained expressionless, his eyes still carefully tracking hers, and relying on the muscles in his bicep and forearm, he brought his body closer to the window and his face near hers. "They're 32 seconds away from the door."

Lois unflinchingly held his gaze, defying the sensation of alarm that he was trying to rise inside of her and ignoring the urge she had to jump into his arms as she searched for safety. At the same time, she was calculating; wondering if he was willingly going to leave her in this predicament, wondering if he was bold enough to act selfishly upon his desire to rescue her and wondering if he cared enough to take the blame of the save on himself, instead of letting her, silently, ask him for it. She was trying to provoke him into defying himself and anticipation rose inside her, daringly waiting for his next move.

Now, she was undeniably baiting him.

She could hear a series of footsteps drawing closer, but she never allowed the panic of getting caught invade her mind, instead, she appreciated the thrill of the questioning tension that surrounded them.

Lois shrugged her shoulders lightly, she was being reckless and both of them knew it. "Then maybe you should jump."

She noticed his gaze deepen under the intensity of her unspoken challenge, but she felt her pulse rose against the skin of her throat and she could feel her senses slipping from her control.

If neither of them moved in the next six seconds, they were going to be caught.

His eyes shifted from hers and they landed on the door, his brow frowning in contemplation, still unwilling to be the one to cede first. Her gaze followed his direction and she was able to hear the distinctive sound of the doorknob being turned.

* * *

HA!HA! Cliffhanger!!!

Oh! That Lois! She is good!

Okay, I just loved how Lois is baiting him and getting a slight revenge for Kal-El's bossy attitude! Lol!

The first scene was really to have a look at Kal-El's life, how others see him, why his mind is so intense and why he'll be acting the way he will in future chapters. Plus, I really wanted to introduce Lara and the relationship she has with her son.

So, the next part should be up in a few days, hopefully, if everything goes well. And trust me, it's going to be good!

Well that's about it and I hope that you've enjoyed this chapter! Review please!!


	4. The Predilection part two

Hey guys!

I just wanted to say sorry for the long wait. Something unexpected came up and I had no choice but to put my writing aside. I'm sorry. Okay, so here's the final of part of the third chapter. Hopefully, you guys will like it.

Also, I don't know when the next update will be. I have another fic that hasn't been updated in a really long time. And I promised a few readers that I would work on the other one before writing chapter four. Hopefully, you guys aren't too disappointed.

Big and special thank you to:

lois mars, mysterious girl, Nora, klandgraf2007, MysticWolf1, DaggerPen, CyprusJasmine, CrazyLikeaFox, and xSmile.

You guys are the best!

Okay, so just enjoy!

* * *

The Dark Dalliance 

Chapter Three – The Predilection

_x-x-x_

1. a tendency to think favorably of something in particular; partiality; preference.

_x-x-x_

Part two

And he was the one who dared… But it never let an inkling behind that suggested he was weaker and his act of submissiveness was never meant to show a glimpse of vulnerability. There was something in him… Inborn power breathed through his veins without a conscious effort and determination seemed to be nothing short than a dignified way of living. The motivation behind his decision had been shattered, as if he never wanted anyone, not even himself, knowing what had persuade him to giving in. He was so sure that he was stronger and not even a dark scream of hesitation led his thoughts astray. And she doubted that any motion or any word from her part would be able lure him towards a softer tendency.

Still, he had yield. He had been the one to kneel for the other, even if she knew that it had only been for a second in time. She had been trying to toy something out of him. Only one thing… And she had seen it. It was something he would see as a weakness. But she saw it as a strength, an incredible and endearing strength.

As always, he proved to be consistent in his speed as she felt his massive arm rapidly wrapping around her waist, yanking her from the dull comfort of the office and pulling her body through the open window. Unable to control the rapid decadence of her senses, her mind fell apart and she wasn't able to perceive the seconds that were being drown away into oblivion. It happened every single time… He would always leave her breathless and lost whenever he decided to alter his thoughts into energized actions and brutal force. Lois inhaled sharply and her body shifted under his strength as he tore her away from every physical fixation that held her stable. Her eyes safely drifted shut and with blinding speed, each precious sensation of balance disappeared beneath her feet. Her pulse throbbed alarmingly against her throat and a suffocating sense of vertigo heaved its way up her spine, reaching even higher to claim utter control over her mind.

Everything around her collapsed.

Lois exhaled, releasing the air that she was desperately holding against her lungs. Slowly, she began to recognize a calming stillness and nothing even tried to provoke her. A startling safeness gradually cascaded through the tenebrous corners of her mind and it eased her into a state of mental serenity. A specific physical warmth was reviving her awareness and it urged to feel again, daring her to open her eyes. Again, a careful breath passed her lips and her eyebrow twitched when she noticed the lost of sensation in her fingers, they had curled possessively over a leather-clad arm. Finally, she swallowed unevenly and she opened her eyes.

_Dear god…_

She was dangling off his arm in the vast void that was created between the 24th floor of the building and the street far down below them. Cool and soothing, the winds caressed her face lazily and it played through her long and curling hair, teasing it in many different directions. The sense of vertigo was still breathing inside her, but it was slipping into a vivacious sense of euphoria. Lois couldn't help but let her mind revel in the sudden feeling of utter liberation that came with being surrounded by nothing else but the dark shade of the night and by the cooling air that kept vivifying her senses. She was almost weightless, unbounded and uncaged, and just consummately loose.

This was definitely something else…

"You're impossibly stubborn." He breathed out.

… And then, there was him. It was instant, a sharp pang of irritation rushed through her mind, cutting the impressive sentiment that had breached her awareness.

Lois frowned at his blatant effort to regain her attention. "And you're heavily moronic," she snapped back, easily regaining her mental footing over the deviating situation.

"Are you sure you want to make such statements considering the position you're in?" He was actually making it sound as a threat and it seemed that frustration had an equal footing in his mind as well. She felt his hold over her waist lessen and it caused his hand to rise from the firm grip he had over her hip. His fingers grazed the bare skin of her stomach and it painfully reminded her that he was the only thing keeping her from falling. A sharp arrow of fright crossed her mind as she registered the lack of strength in his grasp and she swallowed uneasily. Being lead by the sudden need of reassurance, her actions were paired with a distinctive trait of panic, and she briskly slipped her fingers between the ones her held over her abdominal muscles and her left hand quickly drifted upward, clutching the edge of his open jacket.

"That will be good for publicity," she replied dryly.

Lois felt his nose grazing her hair and his breath lingered behind her ear, instantly forcing her body to strengthen under the anxiousness of his unpredictable intentions. He moved behind her, still perched on the side of the building, and he secured the hold he had over her waist, bringing her up closer to his side until the small of her back was nestled in his hip.

They stayed together, motionless and wordless for a moment. Then, another one passed and another…

Lois cleared her throat and she let her hand slip away from his. "Why are we still up here?"

He sighed, almost dramatically, at her impatience. "There are guards below, I'm waiting for them to leave."

Her eyes trailed down the length of the building, looking for what he had mentioned, but her sight couldn't focus on anything in particular. "… Oh."

"Afraid of heights?" he asked, his tone seemed almost mocking.

She angled an eyebrow upward and she sighed in irritation, reflecting an action that he always seemed to grace her with. "Do I look like I'm afraid of heights?! I just insulted an unpredictable, dangerous and controlling Kryptonian, knowing that my life is directly in his hands because, I'm dangling off his arm on the edge of a small border up the 24th floor!"

Of course, he sighed and his voice never wavered from his annoyance. "Are you always this difficult?"

Her jaw tightened. "Are you always this overbearing?"

"Do you always match everyone word for word?" His words came out tense as if he was imitating the movement of her jaw perfectly.

"Yes," she replied. "And if you have a problem with that you can just stop talking."

So he stayed silent, and she was, once again, face with a motionless and wordless moment.

She shifted in his arms, her body starting to ache under his grip and her mind dimming with impatience. "Okay, silence is nice, but it could be even better if you were being more proactive."

He groaned and his arm tightened, bringing her closer to him. "Do I have to remind you that I just saved you, again!"

Lois whipped her head around, trying to catch his gaze. "That's not called saving! You just showed up and decided, without even asking for my permission, to get me out of the building. That's called controlling a person's freewill."

He favored her with a heated glare. "You would have gotten caught if I hadn't shown up."

Still, she refused to concur. "If I can get myself in trouble, it's only because I know how to get out of it." She paused, her tone edging towards a smugness she couldn't wait to express. "Now look who's matching argument for argument."

He gave out a low sigh, the same irritation breathing out of him. "You're infuriating."

Lois brought her gaze back in front of her, her eyes trailing over the bricks of the building next to them. "And you're kind of asking for it."

His face snapped her way. "What? How?"

She frowned. "What do you mean how? You're being arrogant and bossy… And rude. You do _not_ attack a girl like that."

His voice softened, as if he was giving her a victorious point. "Yeah, well I had a feeling that you would have screamed your head off if I hadn't stopped you." Actually, it was as if he was trying to insult her subtly.

"I _don't_ scream," she replied defensively.

He seemed to ponder her statement for a moment. "Really… That's a shame."

Lois's lips curled tightly with disdain, she could just see him smirk. Without even trying to attenuate her childish motion, her fist flew to hit him on the underside of his arm.

"Ow," he replied dully.

"Oh, just shut-" His sudden movement, sliced the words from her throat. She felt his arm straining against the taut skin of her stomach and his elbow dug painfully into the side of her ribcage. She couldn't even restrain herself from gasping out a sharp cry of surprise, internally mixed to reveal a certain ache that he had caused.

He did the exact opposite action that she was expecting of him. Her body was swiftly being pulled upwards, defying the pressure of the winds. A distinct shudder echoed harshly throughout her spine and she recognized it instantly, he had landed on a firmer ground. If only he could have stopped there. As the pressure of the impact was still being felt through his body, he fell backwards into the hard concrete surface of the roof.

He always proved to be faster and he seemed to have kept that odd affinity to protect her from a few things. She was barely able to notice it, but as they fell, he had repositioned her into his arms and had turned her forward into his chest, completely shielding her from the impact and receiving the entire blow of the downfall on his back.

Lois breathed out harshly, her eyes snapping open and her chest rose forcefully against his as she inhaled. Her head was silently ringing, disturbed by the sudden commotion that had been forced on her body. She groaned and nestled her face in the center of his chest, her ribs were aching dully and her mind had rise beyond the point of irritation. Ignoring the sudden weakness that over took her, she stretched her hands over his chest and propped herself up until she was straddling his hips. He raised his torso to match her movement, but she angrily pushed him back and her mind didn't even register the surprise as his body had actually followed her downward motion.

She glared. "How about a little warning next time?!"

Lois noticed his jaw clenching and before she even had the rational thought of backing away from him, his hand shot up. He grasped the collar of her jacket and he pulled her back close to him, forcing her elbow down on his ribcage and leaving her face to be completely aligned with his as her long hair fell around them.

His eyes gained a piercing edge of absolute control. "Just consider yourself lucky that I didn't leave you down there."

Lois groaned – again - he was toying with her. He was able to keep an invisible pull over her and the ridiculous notion quickly brought out the slow burning fury that was rumbling inside her chest. "Would you shut up with that!"

Angrily, he tried to move and he forced her in a sitting position above him, but again, she roughly pushed him down. "It's not about surprising me with this feat of yours! I'm not invulnerable like you and my senses aren't neatly as sharp as yours. I can _feel_ pain and it takes me a moment to fully understand what's going on! Next time you try this kind of bullshit go slower, it won't kill you!"

His fingers were still curled into her jacket, never showing a sign of diminishing his daunting hold, and his piercing blue eyes were still kept into a defiant hard gaze. "Then next time, I'll just leave you there."

She scowled and her hand came up to grip his wrist, swiftly trying to pull him away, but he never allowed it. She was starting to hate his hands. "You do that."

His eyes trailed over her face, as if he was searching for any kind of falsity that could accommodate him. And his stare lingered as their bodies were still kept excessively close to one another. A searing and vivid sensation crept inside her stomach, as she noticed how powerfully his chest was rising below her palms and how often his gaze seemed to bounce off her lips. A pang of surprise quickly deadpanned the warm sensation and the tip of her fingers dug into his upper torso. His eyes flashed… A mysterious, but striking red hue had darkened the blue depths and he swallowed noticeably, as if he had felt the change shot through his spine.

Lois frowned in contemplation, trying to find the fiery shade again. "Your eyes…"

He suddenly released her, his hand dropping away from her body and he inhaled deeply. "Off." And he exhaled sharply.

Her curious nature had been provoked, compelling her to ignore their suggestive position. "No, wait. Your eyes… They flashed… Red."

His lips tightened and his eyes never tried to leave hers. "I know. Off."

She rolled her eyes and her lips tightened in frustration, she couldn't even be surprised by his defense mannerism. Swiftly, Lois pushed herself off and rose to her feet. She barely had time to blink, before he was on his feet as well and he marched around the edge of the building, looking down for an escape.

Her eyes trailed behind him and she arched an eyebrow when he climbed on the short ledge. "Where are you going?"

He turned towards her and his gaze fell down on hers. His face was still reflecting a mask without expressions and his eyes never let anything shimmer through, never letting anything get away. He simply stretched his arms towards her and opened his palm, offering her the only invitation she would receive from him.

Her gaze lingered over his strong hand, before she glanced away from him completely, and her fingers reached for his. He pulled his arm back and brought her up next to him on the small ledge. Her hand left his and she buried her fingers into the dark leather of his jacket, always searching for safety. Without any haste, her eyes trailed around her and her lips parted as she calmly breathed in.

This was... Breathtaking. The altitude was increasingly high and the wind was being careless, wrapping around them and rousing their consciousness. They were locked away in the middle of the night, the sky offering them a nebulous veil, with scattered hints of silvery afterglow falling behind in the obscurity. The sensation of vertigo eased itself in her veins, claiming every sense it could, but this time it had crept up on her in a disguise, masked under that startling feeling of consuming abandonment.

Lois felt his strong arms curved under her buttocks and he carefully pulled her into him, lifting her as if she was nearly weightless. Instinctively, her body followed his movements and her legs wrapped around his waist. Her hands moved to secure herself to him and her arms slipped over his broad shoulders, fingers digging against the leather that had stretched over his powerful back.

Her mind had slipped into a daze, inhibiting her feisty temperament just so she could enjoy something out of this. It seemed she had lost a rational part of herself and her thoughts were blissfully indulging into the vivifying vertigo that had been created in her. It felt illusory, feeling such unknown and unexplored sensations and being held by an equally puzzling individual.

Mesmerized by the alluring darkness that surrounded her, Lois let the side of her head fall against his and her cheek came to rest into his warm shoulder. He took a step forward on the ledge and she felt his arms tightened around her frame. She closed her eyes under the frightful rush of anticipation and her fingers curled tightly into his jacket.

He was going to jump. Her heart reached inside her throat, suffocating the breath she was about to take and her thoughts froze under the frenzied pace of her expectation.

And he let himself fall, his body cutting through the wind and following the path that gravity had designed for them. Any sign of airy life was lost to her lungs and her pulse eagerly resumed its throbbing cadence. Her awareness was faltering under the pressure of the tumultuous sensations, but still, there was that spark… A shred of vivid euphoria that was able to kept her from going senseless. And it was all she needed.

Her lips parted and Lois gasped when she felt a sharp vibration running through him, but he never stopped. She felt the direction of the wind shift abruptly and she could only guess that he was running at an excessive and indefinite velocity. Time had melted in her consciousness, indistinct and unnecessary, and the only thing that breached the trembling walls of her awareness was the _feel_ of him and his ability to exceed any reasonable probability. It felt so unreal.

He finally stopped and the wind dropped its lamenting protest. Her eyes fluttered open and the familiar scenery around them came to reassure her. He had halted in front of her apartment complex, above the few external steps and directly at her door.

But she was unable to let go, her arms were stiffly wrapped around his shoulders and her legs refused to unhook themselves from his waist. Lois clutched him desperately and her eyes quickly drifted shut when she felt his warm breath against the sensitive skin of her throat. His lips were barely away from her escalading pulse and she swallowed unevenly as she recognized a searing anxiousness slithering through her stomach. Too slowly, her senses eased back towards their common state, but her awareness was still lost in the oblivion that enclosed him.

Unbelievably so, he held her this time and he kept her close to him, waiting for her to retain a rigid grip over her wandering thoughts. But she was unable to let go, her thighs refused to leave his hips and her fingers stayed forbiddingly curled into his leather jacket.

Still, he cradled her into his arms and she vaguely felt him press her back against the door. But he remained motionless, holding her and waiting…

She just couldn't let go.

"Please, put me down." Her voice was hushed, as if she was afraid to disrupt the calmness of the moment.

Carefully, he released her from his grasp, unfolding his arms from around her body, and he made sure to lean her against the door. Lois inhaled slowly and she pressed her back firmly against the wooden entry as she disentangled herself from him, hoping that the lack of closeness would kick her senses back to their previous state. Where had that infuriating fury vanished? Her eyes never dared to glance at him, there were too many things that weren't rightfully in their place. Her thoughts were indulging into the illusions of him instead of directing hurting words his way. Her awareness was reaching for him -inviting him- instead of pushing him away. His strong hands were resting on her hips and his fingers were digging into the soft skin of her lower back…. He should be running away from her. This isn't supposed to be happening.

As if he wasn't close enough he leaned into her. "Are you okay?" His voice wasn't different, it still held an undeniable coldness, but it was laced with a frightful edge of control.

Lois was almost winded and she was afraid to breath. If she breathed… She would breathe in him, his scent, warm and masculine. "Yes. Why?" Her voice had softened in a whisper, an edge of control that she didn't possess.

She felt one of his hand leave her hip and he trailed a finger up her throat, instinctively her lips parted as she felt the sudden burst of electrifying flames expanding throughout her chest. He stopped his finger under the curve of her jaw and she could feel her pulse throbbing against his digit.

He towered over her and he softly leaned his face towards her neck. "Your heart is beating _really_ fast." His voice had changed, it was deep and soothing.

Lois raised a hand between them, placing it over his chest, but her fingers curved into his shirt instead of pushing him away. And she almost gasped when she felt his lips parting over her pulse.

* * *

… Yes… Another cliffhanger. Oh well… Lol! I'm starting to love doing those! 

So who thinks that they are going to kiss?

If you guys know anything about my stories is how I love interrupting a good time… Or maybe I won't follow this path with this story. You'll have to wait and see.

… But seriously… (looks from side to side) What could possibly interrupt them now?

Okay, I hope that you guys liked it. Please review and until next time!


	5. The Fortitude

Hey guys!

Well, there you go I'm bringing the fourth chapter! And let me tell you, I think you will enjoy it! Although, I have to admit that a struggled a bit with the end, hopefully, it feels right.

Also, a big and special thank you to everyone to reviewed:

Rouge, veggie5, DaggerPen, lois mars, Rouge, CrazyLikeaFox, MysticWolf1, CyprusJasmine, mysterious girl, Nora, Jessica.

I'm really happy that you guys are enjoying this fic as much as I'm enjoying writing it.

Oh, and someone asked if the research facility was important to the plot and it is. There's a reason why both Lois and Kal-El are investigating it and you guys will start to see more of the plot in the next chapters.

Anyways, just enjoy!

* * *

The Dark Dalliance 

Chapter Four – The Fortitude

_x-x-x_

1. mental and emotional strength in facing difficulty, adversity, danger, or temptation courageously.

_x-x-x_

"Lois?" A feminine and puzzled voice effectively broke through her daze, cutting it so deeply that she stiffened in his arms. She felt the strong release of reality and her fingers uncurled themselves from him, only to silently push him back. Softly, he stepped away from her, allowing her a view of the person behind him and letting her take the lead.

Lois exhaled, her breath coming out under a shiver as she tried to find a perfect balance to her thoughts. "Sara. Hey!"

Sara's eyes darted from the pair and she shifted on her feet. "Sorry to interrupt …" She leaned down to her right, retrieving a large bag and passing it over her shoulder before offering them a smile. "But you're kind of blocking the door."

"Oh! Right." Lois quickly stepped aside, coming to stand in front of the tall Kryptonian who, oddly enough, didn't seemed to be the least out of place. As she watched Sara trailing her suitcase behind her, Lois suddenly remembered. "Your mom?! How is she?"

Sara eased the door opened and turned to her, a smile gracing her features as her eyes settled with deep relief. "She's going to be fine. She's going to need therapy, but she's going to pull through."

Lois smiled and buried her fingers in the back pocket of her jeans. "I'm glad to hear that." She glanced down at her bags. "You just came back?"

She nodded and took a step inside the apartment building. "Yeah, I took the late flight. I kind of miss my boyfriend." Keeping the door opened with one arm, she turned back towards them. "He wasn't any trouble was he?"

Lois shook her head. "I didn't hear him at all."

"Okay, good. Oh, and have you heard anything new about the Kryptonians?"

Lois straightened her shoulders and the tip of her fingers dug against her denim. "Hmm…No. They're probably lying low after the stupid stunt they pulled." She just couldn't resist, and the temptation to unnerve him was almost intolerable considering the position they had just been in.

He strengthened behind her and his arm came up to the side to support his weight as he perched himself against the edge of the brick wall. "Actually, I heard that they were patrolling a few cities because they plan to conquer over the world."

Lois's mouth fell open in utter disbelief and she swiftly turned her head his way. His face was a perfect puzzle of concern, his features gracing him with an expression of innocence, but his eyes darted towards her. And she glared. He was amused. Lois gazed back at the young woman before her and she couldn't help but acknowledge the stiffening twist in her stomach. Sara looked… Terrified, frozen in place as her mind whimpered under the sudden panic his words had no doubt caused.

Lois forced a smile and shook her head, "He's kidding."

Sara let out a struggled laugh, "Oh!" And it had been instant; the look of utter relief spreading across her face, as if she had never thought twice before accepting the explanation, no matter how unsure it had sounded leaving Lois's throat. Sara had looked past the possible truth of his words, rejecting the frightening possibility of disruption of their 'perfect' little world. "That's so not funny! You know what, I'll just leave you two alone, I need to go to bed."

Lois nodded, "Goodnight." And she waited until Sara had fully entered the building before promptly turning towards him, her eyes blazing. "What _the hell_ was that?!"

His features still held the presence of innocence as if he was always meant to appear this way, but the look in his eyes… Challenging, mocking, and choleric. He had been provoked. "Just telling her what she wanted to hear."

Lois gaped at his response; he was just so… reckless. "But you are not thinking about conquering the planet!"

Her statement roused him and he was always ready to prove her wrong. He took a step towards her, his face easily slipping back into an expression of hardening control and his eyes narrowed in calculation. "What makes you so sure?"

She glared back at him and took a step forward, always rising up to meet him. "You would have done it the moment you invaded our grounds."

His gaze trailed over her face, assessing the resolution inside her. "Or maybe we've been waiting to collect the necessary information we need in order to make our move."

She felt her glare wavering as her mind reflexively analyzed his words. And just because he appeared to be so determined, she couldn't decide if he was offering her the truth. She didn't even know what to say to him.

His eyes narrowed even more at her hesitation and his lips caught the rise of a taunting smirk as he took another step towards her. "Don't tell me you've never thought about it." His words came out soft, low, and almost mocking.

She blinked regretfully and her lips straightened. "Of course I have. You do realize that you're terrorizing the entire population just by existing, don't you?"

His eyes darkened, a deep shadow coming around to cloud his mind. "It's not like you ever gave us chance."

But her eyes narrowed. "What did you expect?! A welcome party? What _the hell_ are we suppose to think? Before you, we never even thought that life existed outside Earth!"

He briefly rolled his eyes and his lips twisted with aversion. "I guess, it just shows how self-centered your race is. And probably boarding stupidity considering you aren't technologically and mentally advanced enough to have figured it out!"

Lois clenched her jaw as she fearfully recognized that rapid rage flooding her mind and stimulating her nerves. "And it just goes to show how inconsiderate and insensitive your _race_ is, invading a place where they aren't welcome and where an entire nation isn't ready to see the likes of you!"

Their momentum had rise and she was left almost winded between their arguments. He was invading her personal space, dangerously sneaking into her, and her anger was slowly blinding her mind to what she was really fighting for. And he was standing so close to her… his piercing blue eyes studying her face and his features always being trained to reflect the most inscrutable of expression.

Lois vainly tried to keep herself from inhaling, because if she breathed…

He seemed to have a strong penchant for being reckless, but because of the way he seemed, it was as if he had always planned it. And he took another step into her. "Well it was either this or death, and the lost of a great and intelligent civilization. You would have done the same thing if you had been in our place. And considering what I've seen, your nation would have conquered the weaker race to get supremacy."

She needed to lash out and she needed to breathe. "We are not weaker than you! And-"

His dominating presence caught her words from her throat as he took a finale step forward, letting his chest graze hers as he lowered his face to keep her eyes on his. "Yes, you are! At least, we're standing in a corner, letting you live in peace and never disrupting your lives. You would not have shown to same consideration."

Lois clenched her jaw and she glared, her eyes never softening for him. "Than explain to me why you're breaking into our facilities?! You're _supposed_ to stay in your corner, but you didn't! You broke the agreement and have effectively increased all the pent up anxiety that the whole population is holding because of you!"

She stood almost breathless and his gaze was wavering from hers, they were both able to recognize that their words held a greater meaning. They were lace with foreign conflict and they were shivering with indistinctive fear, but they were just letting out a few frustrations and the intent was never to hurt. It was to provoke, and both of them seemed to like it that way.

It fuelled something inside her, an eerie sensation that flashed between too many intensive shades of red. He was dominant, his body held hard and tall, letting the broadness of his shoulders bare the weight of the conflict and letting his chest open and unlock, ready to receive every blow that was meant for him – for them. His features were deprived of anything that could give him away, but his eyes would let a few things filter through the piercing gaze, begging to be recognized, and his jaw would clench every time he tried to reign over the control, every time he felt something a little too real or little too dangerous. And his words, they were stripped bare, holding a truth that he never tried to deny her and he never even tried to shine away from the harsh reality that covered both their worlds. He wasn't deluding himself with an ideal of something that would make him feel better and even though his flaws were attacking her, she couldn't help but admire his sense of will. He was determined, daring, and dauntless, but undeniably protective and sacred… He was a tangible myth and he forcefully tried to breathe life into its pattern, wanting nothing more than to be seen in his truest form.

Her mouth parted as she finally realized just how often his gaze seemed to bounce off her lips. An enticing stroke of fear ran up the length of her spine, exploring every nerve in her body and heightening her senses to perceive everything to its fullest extent. She felt his face dangerously leaning into hers and in an odd defense mechanism, her body yield to a weakness that was rapidly paralyzing her. His suggestive gesture forced her neck to curve backwards as he allowed himself to tower over her completely.

Lois felt utterly powerless, her body tensing under the friction and the weight of her emotions. They were lashing out, wondering, warning, and screaming… But the fuelling inside her stomach was becoming unbearably unstable, tossing and turning, as it slowly eased itself into a sense of anticipation, laced by the pleasure of expecting absolutely nothing and everything all at once… It was almost too much.

And he wasn't helping. His eyes had glazed over, darkened by something that never seemed to make sense, but there was something inside them, a searing and untamed flare. He was curious.

A strong and forbidding sense of pleasure burst through her as she felt his nose softly brush up against hers. He let his mouth linger over her lips, tantalizing the flesh he had yet to touch and tormenting that dark-shaded flame that was stirring between her hips. He raised his hand between them, letting the back of his strong fingers stroke up her stomach, and then over her left breast. Lois inhaled too deeply, her chest rising with the motion of his hand, and she almost panted under the tensing feelings that were being tormented by his intrusive touch. Her lips parted and a silent gasp never dared to let itself known as she felt the tip of his fingers graze the sensitive skin of her throat. Her breath had stopped inside her, settling under his fingers and enjoying the caress. It was too much, and in the back of her hazing mind, a confused anxiety flickered under the intensity. Her hand clumsily moved over the heavy leather covering his arm and she grasped his wandering fingers between hers, palming them between her collarbones and still, he never allowed her to lower them.

Lois glanced at his eyes and the fear almost melted in submission. An unbreakable fortitude was settling against the piercing shade of blue, but a striving curiosity was flaming them. His gaze unabashedly rose up to meet hers, he was wondering and baiting…

"Don't you dare…" her voice was weak, locked inside something she couldn't understand, but still, there was a resolve behind it.

Naturally, he didn't listen and his lips curiously searched for hers, making her breath become nothing more than an unwelcome pant, hollow and wanting. If she had known his name, she would have whimpered it, because he was able to make her feel that weak and she doubted that it was ever his intention. Gripping his fingers tightly, she raised her opposite hand between their closing bodies and she let it land on the side of his pelvis, her nails digging into his hip. It was as if she was trying to push him away, but the lucid thought was never able break free from the reddening desire he forced upon her mind.

She felt his fingers stretching between hers and it caused her to lose the grip she had over him. Her hand fell away from his chest, but she caught herself on the shirt that was covering his stomach. She curled agitated fingers into the material and her nails dug against him. He tensed the muscles, tautening and hardening them, under her touch as he acknowledged it.

He grazed his lips against hers, tasting the feel of them and gauging for a reaction, wondering if he had gone too far and even wondering; how far she would let him go. As she felt his fingers closing over the side of her throat and his thumb locking under her chin, she couldn't even imagine him asking for permission. He saw something and he wanted it, between harsh words, commanding motions and audacious thoughts, he never let his control slip through his fingers.

His mouth came down to claim hers and he pursed the fullness of his lips between her own, shamelessly taking a delicacy that wasn't meant to be taken by him. Her mind fell from her control, losing itself in the mist of clashing emotions that were tearing her sense of will apart. His lips moved against hers in precise, daring and sinful motions that were urgently sharpening the smoldering anticipation inside her stomach. He was relaying on his most basic instincts and he needed to dominate, pushing his presence in the depths of her mind until she couldn't distinguish what she really wanted. He was forcing her senses to recognize him, to latch on to him… And he was commanding them to want him.

Lois expelled an uncontrolled breath against him as his mouth parted over her bottom lip, sucking and grazing his teeth against the fragile skin. His other hand came up between them to grasp the back of her head, his intention was only to keep her into him. And as her thoughts drifted into the reckless abandonment he had shaped inside her, her lips moved against his, playing and pulling him in, until she could relinquish into the burning pleasure he threatened over her.

Her nails dug into his stomach as she felt his tongue smoothly trace her lips, almost ordering them to part for him. A desperate need ran up her spine, chilling the pacing of her pulse as she moaned under the provocative caress. She was starting to recognize a bitter feeling of agitation, but as his tongue skillfully searched for her own, she realized that he was never allowing her to think of anything else. He was letting her know that he was the one in control and that she shouldn't even dare to try to overrule him.

Still, there was something in the way he captured her, whispers of emotions were either lost inside him or abandoned to play with other things that were left unwanted. He was curious, satisfying an unrestrained interest that was restless, pounding, and dangerously slithering on the edge of becoming a consuming sense of desperate yearning. He needed something and as his lips stayed carelessly between hers, grazing and toying, taking and pulling, she wondered how she could even resist him.

She wasn't resisting him and that notion alone was enough to provoke something inside her.

Lois felt her back collide with the hard wooded door and he leaned his body into hers, pressing and invading. She was starting to perceive a slow building anxiety and it caused a jolt of failing fury to rise inside her chest. Her hands released the tightening grip she held over his mid-section and she dragged her fingers through the rough edges of his leather jacket, grazing over his arms until she found the skin of his wrists.

Dear god, his hands… She couldn't stand them. And her nails dug into his forearms as she senselessly tried to loosen the submissive hold he dared to have over her. But her lips were tugging at his, kissing him and pleading him to go deeper… Almost begging him to dominate.

She was caught in an opposition of emotions. Her mind was screaming, frustrated with his lack of empathy and ragging against the boldness he carried within himself. But her senses… They were falling apart, succumbing to the darkening sensation that was flickering inside her chest, and it was growing, invading every inch of her as he continued the satisfying assault on her lips.

Suddenly, she felt the rigid door escape her weakening body. He seemed to have perceived her need for his strength and she felt his fingers digging into the back of her neck, pulling her in the warmth of his chest as the door behind her opened. The sudden shift in their momentum caused their lips to break apart and their minds quickly stirred away from one another to confront the interruption.

Lois turned her face to glance over her shoulder, through dazed and questioning eyes, she noticed a young woman with flaming red hair making her way through the doorway, imploring for a quick exit.

Unwanted tears where held in her eyes, reddened and swollen from an ache, and her trembling fingers were desperately trying to mount her jacket over her shoulders to cover her opened white blouse that revealed a lacy black bra. The young woman's eyes widened slightly as she caught sight of them, but she quickly looked down as if shame was the only thing that was allowed to consume her, and she mumble an indistinctive apology while she passed them a little too quickly.

Lois's eyes narrowed in perplexity at the back of the retreating woman and she noticed that his gaze was curiously trailing behind her as well. The screeching sound of a window being forced opened caught their attention and they swiftly glanced up towards the second story of the building where Lois faintly recognized that it was Sara's apartment.

Abruptly, a lonely drawer flew through the opened window and into the deafening silent of the night, before it rapidly came crashing down on the pavement below, barely three feet away from them. Clothes hastily followed the tragic direction of the drawer as angry voices and pained cries fled through the escape of the window, never wanting to stay between walls that held a growing hatred and an afflicting feeling of betrayal.

Lois felt his hold loosening over her neck and he returned his eyes towards her, frowning in astonishment. "What _the hell_ is going on?"

"I'm guessing that she just found her boyfriend in bed with another- Ah!" She yelped and her body instinctively jumped as she heard a piercing and unforgiving crash landing a little bit to close to her. Her eyes widened slightly as she caught sight of a red and broken electric guitar laying next to the stairs.

He eyed the shattered piece of instrument warily. "So she throws his stuff out the window?"

Lois cleared her throat and, taking advantage of his straying attention, she brushed his hands away from her. "Yeah… It seems that way."

His gaze drifted towards her and he raised an eyebrow. "Is this… Customary?"

Lois faltered at his question and she frowned out of puzzlement. "Hmm… Kind of… It's more of a cliché than anything else. This… scenario is widely exploited by the media; movies, publicity, television shows… But it seemed kind of fitting that it would appear in real life." She shrugged her shoulders in finality and her gaze contemplated the guitar before realizing that he was looking at her stunned. She frowned. "What?"

His eyes narrowed and he raised a brow. "This is a respectable habit for humans?"

Sensing his condescending tone, Lois crossed her arms over her chest. "I would not call it a habit."

His gaze caught hers. "But you're not surprise if this happens."

She sighed, "Well of course, but we understand the context."

He rolled his eyes and his lips tightened.

Lois eyed him, frustrated with his obvious contempt over their 'customs' or anything that seemed remotely unfamiliar to him. "What?!"

He shrugged slightly, but he still kept his arrogance a little too close to his words. "I just think that it's kind of private, and displaying it to the world is more humiliating than anything else." His eyes trailed back towards the second floor.

She clenched her jaw and she buried the part of her that agreed with him. "It's not like-!" Her eyes widened as he brusquely moved pass her and dashed into her apartment complex. "Where are you going?!" she yelled through the opened door as she watched him disappear up the main stairs that came down in the center of the building.

With an aggravated groaned, Lois followed him up the stairs and stopped when she reached her floor as she caught sight of him emerging from the last door at the end of the hall. And between tightly curling fingers, he was holding a half-naked man by the back of his neck, pulling him out of the apartment. A man she recognized as Sara's boyfriend.

_Oh shit._

Lois quickly made her way towards them, almost sighing in relief when he let the man go, but she cautiously slowed down her pace when she neared them, realizing that they were staring each other down.

This had to be an odd display of force. On her right stood a massive, tall and wide, full-blooded Kryptonian with clenched fists and narrowed eyes, daring the other to make a move. On her left stood a lean, average and narrow, Human who was trying to catch his breath while his gaze assessed the competition.

And this struck her, both of them relatively shared the same physiology, but their features and their character seemed to be so frightfully different. The man looked like any hot-blooded male walking the Earth; confidently flaunting his sense of worth, his face displaying his attractiveness and his personality exhibiting a cocky and playful attitude. But him… He was a class all on his own; features sharpened to reflect a deep and masculine beauty, a body trained to appear boundlessly superior and exceedingly protective, an honorable temperament created from pure fortitude, and an air of absolute strength enclosed his whole presence.

This was… unbelievable.

Her eyes darted back and forth between them and she tensed when Sara's boyfriend took a step forward, his muscles taunting with rage as if he was ready to pound anything in his sight. Lois's lips parted in slight disbelief, he couldn't possibly think he could win against him.

As if he was starting to foresee his downfall, the boyfriend turned his heated gaze towards her. Before she could even think of a haughty remark to throw his way, her nightly partner rapidly grabbed her wrist and pulled her safely behind his back.

"Leave." He expressed the word in a conflicted tone, torn between being cold and ruthless.

Her concentration was diverted by the suffocating sobs coming from inside the apartment behind her and she swiftly freed her wrist from his hold when her gaze caught sight of Sara.

"Oh my god! Sara!" Lois quickly moved towards her curled and powerless form nestled in the corner of the couch.

A traumatic swell caught in Lois's throat as she noticed the thin layers of blood peeking from between the separation of Sara's fingers as she held her hands over her nose. Carefully, Lois balanced her weight on her knees and she grasped her wrist in a softening touch, bringing them down under her chin. She felt her chest constricting a little too painfully at the sight before her. Heavy and blinding tears escaped Sara's eyes, streaking her pale cheeks with trails of a throbbing ache, and her nose was reddened by traces of blood that had smeared out of violence. And that violence kept running away from her nose.

Swallowing unevenly, Lois leaped from her crouching position and towards the small kitchen to her right. Out the corner of her eye, she noticed him stepping back into the apartment and firmly pulling the door close, the boyfriend nowhere in sight. Grabbing the closest towel off the oven's handle, Lois quickly reclaimed her place in front of Sara, kneeling before her to tend to her wound and trying to find a fitting way to hush her towards a calming state.

Replacing the towel as a stopping comfort for Sara's hand, Lois glanced towards him. "Where is he?"

He took a few steps through the apartment, his eyes surveying his surrounding as he made his way towards the window. "He's gathering his things," he replied before pulling the window closed.

A strangled cry and an overflow of tears brought Lois's attention back towards Sara. Tentatively and through a watchful gaze, Lois withdrew the cloth from her visage in order to see if the blood had stopped trickling.

"The bleeding stopped," Lois reassured as she cautiously brushed an untainted plane of the towel over the side of her nose, trying to remove any hint of brutality.

Sara choked out a tearful cry and she winced as Lois's motion stroke to close to the assault.

Lois quickly removed her hand from the wound. "Sorry. You should probably put some ice on that, it will prevent the swe-"

"Can you just go!" Sara's words stumbled out of her throat as she took a deep and painful breath before her back collided against the cushions of the couch. Her tone wasn't harsh, it was broken as her emotions were tearing her apart and plaguing her mind with too many feelings that grew from excessively dark corners.

Lois blinked and hesitated. "Sara, I can't leave you like this…"

She cried, tears never relieving the pressure and her voice trembled, "Lo-is. I can't…" she exhaled a cutting breath. "I just can't right now. Please."

Lois bit her lip thoughtfully, knowing that if a part of her was as shattered as Sara's was, she wouldn't have appreciate the gaze of onlookers. Her eyes trailed over her nose, it was already starting to bruise, but there was no bump disfiguring the bone and there was no serious swelling grazing the skin. Regretfully, Lois took the small quilt over the back of the couch and unfolded it, covering Sara with a small, but inconsolable comfort.

She pulled herself to her feet and took a few steps back. "I'll be just next door if you need me."

But Sara never responded, lost in a breaking oblivion that wasn't going to become restless any time soon.

Turning around, Lois avoided his gaze, instead she momentarily pulled at his leather jacket as she passed by him, instructing him to follow her out of the apartment. He actually complied with her and wordlessly followed, closing the door behind him.

Inching towards her own apartment, her hand flew to her forehead stroking the fragile skin as if it could erase the troubling event, while the other slid inside the pocket of her jacket searching for her keys.

"I don't get how this happened." He spoke softly, for only one time he seemed to acknowledge her need for a calm atmosphere.

She returned tired eyes towards him and for once, she didn't actually mind his presence near her. "What don't you get?" Her tone matched his, never elevating towards the frustrated emotion she usually had for him.

His brow furrowed and his eyes clouded with a slow anguish. "He hit her."

Her eyes fell on the lock as she eased her key inside to remove the safety. "It happens more often then we think. He betrayed her, they yelled, she threw his guitar out the window and his anger rose…"

"How often?"

Placing her keys back into her pocket, she turned towards him, her mind trying to relocate an information she had read not so long ago. "I think that about 22 of women are physically assaulted by their partner during their lifetime."

His eyes narrowed, but his features held a pale distress. "So that means that 1.4 billion of women are being battered by their partner. That's like 1/6 of the Earth's population… It's unconceivable."

Lois noted his shock over the information. "It never happened back on Krypton?"

His gaze firmly met hers. "No."

She held his eyes and she had to admit that she couldn't be very surprise by his admission. Again, she was marked by a flaw in her society and it was something he never liked seeing. "Well then, I guess this world really is another planet's Hell."

And somehow it returned, the piercing edge of control in his blue eyes. Taking a step towards her, his fingers reached for the waistband of her jeans and he forced her back against the door.

Her hand rapidly moved downward to grasp his wrist and she exhaled a staggering breath as she felt his body pressing against her. She was reacting to him, and it was vivid and untamed as the dark-shaded flames resumed their smoldering effect in the bottom of her stomach. A little too softly, he leaned his face into her and his nose brushed against hers. But this time she was reacting to her own presence as well, firmly grasping an unbending determination over her mind and never allowing her thoughts to slip pass her own control.

Her other hand came up against his chest, resolutely keeping him at bay and causing him to smirk at her tentative motion to stop him. "You've got some nerve you know that." And she wasn't teasing.

He tightened the grip he had over her jeans and pulled their hips closer together while his hand came to rest against the door behind her, barely an inch away from her head. "And you like it." His voice had slipped into a deep tone.

And her control slipped through her fingers at his words, if anything the searing inside her seemed to consume her more than the rational process of her thoughts.

She felt his lips lingering over hers, tormenting the skin with a too recent memory of what he had done before. "This is so not appropriate."

He let out a low groan as their lips brushed against each other. "I don't really care." And he reclaimed her lips between his, satisfying an agonizing hunger that was rapidly drowning any coherent notion.

She clearly received him independently, her mouth catching his bottom lip between her own and kissing him as if this had never happened before. And he kissed her back, adding a distinctive pressure to the growing yearning between them and teasing it as his tongue brushed pass her lips to torment hers.

It's only when the heated flare inside her became unbearable that she pulled away from him, her face angling downward and her lips parting to inhale. "You have to go." He really had to…

And something must have snapped inside of him, because he immediately let her go and he took a step back, causing her hand to slide down his chest. "Yeah, I do." His gaze caught hers and it almost seemed as if the creation of regret was starting to filter through his eyes.

Without any other word expressed between them, he turned away from her, his shoulders tensing under the pressure of something he shouldn't have done and he left leaving a breeze toying with Lois's long curls.

With a hazing mind and too many conflicted sensations coursing through her, Lois turned the knob and let herself fall in the darkness of her apartment. Closing the door behind her and pressing her back against it, her fingers searched through the pocket of her jacket, needing a distraction. She removed her memory key, twirling the little piece of technology that held the information she had been seeking, but she couldn't help wondering if he had found whatever he was looking for.

And what exactly that was.

* * *

Well, I hope you guys liked it! 

I have to say that I love writing Lois and Clark this way, so much fun.

Please leave your thoughts and review!!


	6. The Bounds

Hey guys!

Alright here it is, the fifth chapter! It's a long one, but it thickens the plot. Also, I did have a little trouble writing the third scene, so hopefully, it feels right.

As always a bog and special thank you to everyone who reviewed:

sas420, hiddenxtalent, Dobby, mysterious girl, lois mars, MissAttentionSpan, MysticWolf1, CrazyLikeaFox, Nora.

You guys are the best!!!

Enjoy!

* * *

The Dark Dalliance

Chapter Five – The Bounds

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1. To hold or restrain with or as if with bonds.

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Weaknesses.

It was something that was given so much importance throughout his education. Its definition had always come from his father and its meaning had been reinforced by the thoughts shared among his society.

Weaknesses lead the mind astray, drowning it into a selfishness that people love indulging in. They came alive through pleasures, through sinful motions carried on the body or through transitory, but torrid, emotions forced upon the consciousness. It didn't matter if the weaknesses attacked the mind, driving it compellingly into the blinding gratification that it could offer or if they aroused the entire body, leaving it to want more and training it to beg if their weaknesses would ever be ripped away from them.

It didn't matter which ground it could reach, because ultimately, it meant a certain downfall; one that would cause an uncontrollable chain reaction, driven by the consequences.

It never mattered. And it should never be a considerable factor in his mind, but…

A weakness.

Kal-El was starting to feel its unforgiving pull and his mind was slowly drowning in the repercussion of possessing one.

It was a corruption and it had skillfully eased itself in his mind, slithering pass his defenses as if it was a game, and he was standing on the losing end. He was up against something that didn't make sense to him and because of his lack of insight, he wasn't able to hinder it. He couldn't fight it and he knew, in a buried corner of his mind, one that had been hushed out of fear, he knew that he didn't really want to fight it.

His mind was conquered by his ideals and strengthened by his rigorous training, but among all of it… It had felt good.

That weakness had made sense, it had vividly stirred a part of him awake, and it had relieved a stifling pressure…And he was still thirsty for the relief.

Kal-El forced his teeth together, causing the muscles of his jaw to tense under the friction and his mind to haze with frustration at the realization. He was seared by that weakness and it seemed that his mind couldn't wait to surrender to it, desperately searching for alleviation and trying to find a release for all the pending pressure hovering over his head.

He had trained his mind to wield itself upon his strengths and his mentors had diligently advised him to never completely rely on his emotions, for they could make him slip. Those emotions had turn on him, betraying him for, always and carelessly, tossing them aside as if they never held a value worth of his attention.

And now, he was feeling those emotions dragging him down. It was troubling, if not boarding the lines of panic, because he wasn't able to recognize them. And there had been these sensations, intensified and too vivid, whenever he got a little too close to that weakness. They had enlivened an untamed part of him, a part he never knew could breathe inside him, a part that could be ready to beg and a part that made him lose the rational pattern of his thoughts. He followed an instinct that seemed so hard to suppress and it made him toss aside everything else.

Something had shifted and it created a reversal, a dark and drowning one that strived on his selfish and indecent thoughts.

Where he lived on his principle and buried his emotions, now, he wanted to experience those emotions and bury all the things he had been taught.

It was reversing the situation, and it couldn't be tolerated. Being weakened was never even an option.

Even if he wanted it, and as time slipped pass his fingers, dragging his control behind it, he realized, almost forlornly, that he could easily start to need it. He needed something external, something that could satisfy him, and something that the palace of frozen ice didn't held between its crystalline beauty.

That notion and the stupidity of his actions weren't helping. And they never would.

This could never happen again.

"Kal-El." The soft voice drifted into his awareness, gently pulling his attention towards the doorway of his room. "Are you trying to sleep?"

He turned his head to the side. "No, I was just… relaxing," he replied his voice regaining a sense of control, as if the torture in his mind had never existed, and he moved across his bed until he could seat himself on the edge.

"Good." Lara stepped into the room and she took a seat in front of him, on the large chair near his elaborated computer and translucent desk. She smiled gently as she centered her attention on him. "You've been quiet."

He glanced at her, his eyes stripped of any traceable fragment of emotion. "I'm always quiet."

Lara pursed her lips together and a small frown marred her motherly features. "Yes, but recently you seemed more… Preoccupied. If you don't like exploring Earth-"

"No." His response was instant, as if he was afraid that she would take the task away from him. It was true, he liked Earth and he loved exploring it. He held an insatiable curiosity for the world around him and gathering information on his surroundings quieted his mind, comforting him in the fact that he knew what to expect. "I like it, it gives me greater knowledge and more experience, something I can't really acquire here."

Lara smiled, her eyes carefully trailing over him. "True. Then, what is bothering you?"

The flash of a tantalizing memory consumed his awareness, and he swallowed unevenly, stubbornly pushing it away and ripping it to pieces in a dark corner of his mind. Never, he wouldn't allow it to gain a meaningful edge.

Instead, he stirred his mind to find something realistic, something that would satisfy his mother's concern and something that wouldn't alter her perception of him. "I didn't get what I was looking for." It did frustrate him, the lack of useful information he had been able to gather, but what really made his guilt soar was the notion that he had willingly let himself be distracted by something he wasn't supposed to look into.

Lara's eyes softened. "Kal-El, you shouldn't feel guilty about that. The reason we're sending you there is so you can investigate the possibility of an existent threat. Not even your father knows what to look for and as far as we are concern, you're doing the best that you can. It's all we need."

His irritation following the matter wouldn't cease pounding against his mind, and it seemed that the more he dwelled on the subject the more restless his thoughts grew, they swam aimlessly inside his head, always making sure not to disturb the memories he was trying to hush away. "But it would be some much easier if I could narrow it down. There's so much information and so many people working on so many different projects and in so many different fields… I just…" He sighed, "I don't want it to be too late."

Lara shook her head and she moved forward taking a seat next to him, softly dragging her fingers over the back of his shoulder. "The clock isn't ticking. If, indeed, a threat is growing against us we would have detected it. This is only a precaution."

His lips straightened, dejected as his thoughts still lingered too heavily over his disappointment. "But I hate searching aimlessly. I don't even know what I'm looking for and I just feel like I'm wasting my time."

Lara's hand fell from his shoulders. "Have you tried accessing the personal computers of the directors?

His eyes narrowed and he turned his face, catching her eyes in his gaze. "What?"

"The directors. They are the ones who have complete control over the studies and the experiments the employees do. They must have all the detailed reports of everything that goes on in the labs on their personal computers in order to evaluate and supervise all their tasks."

He hadn't even thought about that, he had been concentrating his time in the lower levels of the faculty, researching the intensive data of all the scientists involve in a particular branch of science. He should have started with the upper levels of the research building… Exactly where _she_ had been.

He dropped his gaze. "I didn't even think about that."

Her delicate hand returned, drawing soothing circles on his back. "Don't worry about it. It's your first try, making mistake and asking for advice is the only way you'll learn."

Kal-El tried to smile. "Thanks."

"You're welcome," she replied as her hand still tried to ease a certain pressure settling between his muscles, but her eyes traced over his profile and the concern had never left. "I saw you leaping off the mountains this morning, I thought that you and your father had agreed to go slower."

Kal-El's jaw tightened, he had tried to fly… Tried, but his mind had never focused on that power, instead, it was breaching a pleasurable memory and it seemed that pushing his body to its limit was the only way to make the growing craving stop. "I just… needed to exercise."

Lara's eyes narrowed. "Be careful, I don't want you to tire yourself."

"I'm not tiring myself, I just… Have a lot on my mind."

Her hand grazed down his arm until she could lace her fingers through his, pulling his eyes on hers again and softening them only for him. "I see the way you carry yourself and I feel like you're holding on to so much, your mind being in so many different places; on your training, your education and the investigation… And it makes me wonder… Do you even know what you're trying to achieve?"

He could only look back at her, not even able to offer her a consolation, and that had been her intention. She wanted him to rationalize the things around him and gain more insight into his own actions. But the truth was that he didn't really know. He was devoted to his family and to his society, and nothing was able to diminish the love he held for his culture, but he was restricted in what he could do and in what he could wish for, they all were. But no matter which torment his mind could afflict on him, it never really mattered, because it was all for them. And that was where his importance lay.

_x-x-x_

It was buzzing.

Lois walked briskly through the first floor of The Daily Planet, her heels clicking under her steps as her eyes drifted from one group to another. Turning to her left, she accessed the stairway leading to the basement and, steadily balancing the coffee cup in her hand and ignoring the heavy bag draped over her shoulder, she maneuvered herself around all the gossip.

Agitation was in the air, easing itself in every single mind that was tempted enough to succumb to it, and people had gathered themselves in small and insignificant cliques, chatting aimlessly about the sudden shift that no one had seen coming.

Arriving at her desk, Lois placed her coffee down and threw her bag on the chair as her gaze surveyed the floor, darting between the masses of animation. Rising an eyebrow at all the excitement, she shrugged off her coat and grasped her coffee back in her hand before moving through the cliques, carefully avoiding getting caught in one of them, as she reached the elevator. The heavy golden doors slide apart and allowed her to enter, Lois pushed the button of the last floor and relaxed against the opposite wall as the doors slide back together. She never bothered much with her colleagues downstairs, all of them being interns such as herself and they reflexively shared the same footing in the infinite ladder that concerned The Daily Planet, out of rational thinking and pure intellectual curiosity, she preferred dealing with people who where more resourceful and that actually had something valuable to teach.

The elevator's doors finally opened, chiming as she reached the most impressive floor of The Daily Planet. Lois's eyes widened slightly at the sight before her, the buzzing was effectively more exciting here.

As she moved herself around the 'grown-up' cliques, she couldn't help but wonder what she had missed.

"What the hell?" she exclaimed when she finally managed to cross half of the floor and arrived to her destination.

David Riley, a man in his late thirties turned to her, his brow rising in surprise. "Oh! Well, hello to you too, young grasshopper."

Lois gave him a dubious look. "Since when have you ever been any kind of mentor?"

The man comically narrowed his eyes and raised his finger at her. "Hey, I don't have to deal with you, but against my better judgment, I do. So keep that sarcastic attitude for someone who actually has the tolerance to deal with it." But the edge of his lips curved in a smirk.

Lois took a sip of her coffee and surveyed the floor before returning her eyes on him. "So… What is going on?"

He raised a brow, but his eyes were glued to his computer screen. "I'm surprise you don't know, considering that excessively curious nature of yours and not to mention that irritating habit to dig until you reach China."

"I've been busy and I need a shortcut," Lois replied dismissively.

David smiled and balanced his chair to the left, turning towards her. "Aw! I'm almost flattered that your young and unsharpened instincts have led you to me."

She rolled her eyes. "Just spill it old man."

With a smirk and a shrug of his shoulders, he returned his attention to his screen. "Kahn got fired."

The coffee mug stopped mid-way towards her lips. "What?" And her eyes surveyed the floor once more, no wonder everyone was so excited.

"Yeah, they told her this morning and she made quite a scene, very entertaining to watch, but also quite painful considering how much she humiliated herself."

Her gaze landed back on him. "I never saw this coming."

"Yeah, well you're not the only one," he muttered as he swirled his pen over his note pad.

Lois raised an eyebrow at his remark. "But you did?"

He smirked, his eyes glancing between his handwriting and the data covering his screen. "Of course, why do you think I'm the best?"

She let out a flippant chuckle. "You're not the best."

His features easily slipped into an excess of smugness. "Close enough."

Letting his ego slide beneath the taunt, she asked, "So, who's replacing her?"

"The junior editors will take over for a while, and no one was been named yet."

Lois shifted her weight on her feet. "So everyone on this floor will probably be fighting for that position."

"Which will be useless." Again, his words revealed that he knew more than any of his colleagues did.

"Because…" she urged him to continue.

Finally, he returned his eyes on her and he brought his hands behind his head, making him lean back into his chair. "Let's just say that firing Kahn was only to prove their dedication."

Pensive, her teeth came down on her lower lip. "So the owners already have their eye on a new Editor-in-Chief?" She watched him nod. "Who is it?"

He scowled at her. "I'm not telling you."

Lois's lips tightened together, but she didn't press, and it was only because it was him; a reporter she actually looked up too and one that didn't mind her prying. Her eyes curiously drifted towards his computer screen. "What are you working on?"

He contemplated her for a moment, as if he tried to gauge just how much trust he could give her. Finally, he relented, "The Kryptonian story."

Her features slipped, allowing her to blank any emotions from her face, but the sudden throb in her chest clearly indicated that the pacing of her heart had skipped over a precious beat. Unconsciously, she glanced at the reporter who had written the first article a week ago, he was one of the journalists to be actively discussing the fate of their recently fired Editor-in-Chief. "I thought he was on that story."

David took a quick glimpse towards him as well. "No, _he_ is sucking up. He knows the opinion of everyone on that subject, repeating it fuels the anxiety and grabs the viewers, filling them with a sense that someone out there cares. That's not he's job."

Cautiously, her gaze landed back on him and she swallowed unevenly as she realized just how much the conversation was affecting her. "So what are you doing with that story?"

"_I_ am doing my job, trying to shed some light on the subject, or maybe, a new light." And he smirked, his eyes following the prideful movement.

She hung to his every word and instinctively, her arms moved upwards, crossing over her chest. "You got something?"

Again, his gaze traced her features, but his hand reached for his computer mouse. Tearing his eyes away from her, he searched through his virtual folders, allowing her to have an inclusive glimpse of a video that held precious evidence. "Look at this." His cursor activated the link, allowing a window to open over his screen. "I have a source at Troy Laboratories of Modern Research. He got the Kryptonian on tape."

Lois's teeth came together and she briefly closed her eyes, forcing down the apprehension that was clawing its way up her throat. "You mean, he actually got caught by a security camera?" and her voice wavered.

David remained oblivious to her darkening state and he paused in his movement to smile back at her. "No, he is much smarter than that. I had someone checked them and there isn't a glimpse of him anywhere. My source is more clumsy than anything else, which is why I'm always hesitant before rolling with the things he gives me… But because of his clumsiness, he sometimes gets things others don't."

Her eyes narrowed. "So how did he manage to get that?"

"His daughter is studying in Europe, so they talk to each other via web cams… And he forgot to turn his computer off, including the camera."

Lois rolled her eyes. "You have got to be kidding me!" It wasn't directed at the method of conception, but at the misfortune of the moment. That Kryptonian knew what he was doing, and to think that he got caught because of a human error was rather ironic.

David chuckled and turned back towards his monitor, mentioning her to view it over his shoulder. "Look." He activated the video and the scene unfolded between the shadows and held a blurring static to it, lacking the proper lighting to record a clearer version of the footage. You could see him among the darkness, moving behind a desk and searching through the data of a computer.

It was him, she could identify him in the way he moved, his confidence moving in his motions, and in the way he held himself, towering and precise. It was him, but she had never been in that particular sector of the building. "Can you have a clearer look at his face?"

He shook his head. "No, we can't. He must have heard something because look." David brought his finger closer to the screen, indicating the way the Kryptonian angled his head upwards and stilled every movement in his body. "You see the way he reacted, as if he had heard something."

Her eyes stayed, transfixed by the caption as the Kryptonian, almost whole-heartedly, stood up and shut the computer before disappearing from the scene completely. "Where was he?"

David leaned over to his right, his eyes tracing over his recent notes. "In the labs, down in the fourth basement."

Lois took a few steps back, purposefully ignoring the warming relief that spread throughout her chest. There wasn't anyway for David, or anyone else, to recognize him. "And when was this taken?"

"Two days ago."

That was exactly when she had been there. "So, when are you planning on publishing the article?"

He balanced his head from side to side in immediate negation. "No, no, no. This is a long-term project. I don't want to publish anything vague and that has no conclusions. Believe me, you'll know when this will be published, people will be raving."

Lois nodded her head, but her mind was straying from the topic and she didn't allow her thoughts to linger on something that seemed to hit a little to close to her comfort.

Once more, David remained oblivious to her sudden lack of interest and he easily slipped their conversation on a more common ground. "So how's school going?"

"Oh… Hmm, great," Lois replied absently. She was distracted and this story was only going to become thicker.

_x-x-x_

He was going to close in on her again and he kept his mind under a tensing hold of control. He was only here for one reason and he repeated it mercilessly in his head, never releasing the wandering thoughts that had gathered the ability to weaken him.

She had information and it was his only motivation, the only way he allowed himself to loom closely towards her.

The words began to distort themselves in his mind, but still, it was the only reason… It was the only thing that could justify his undertaking.

Kal-El's eyes traced over the prestigious façade of the Daily Planet, deliberately altering his vision to be able to see behind the architecture. A dozen of employees were disperse throughout the whole edifice and he was able to locate her in the center of the basement.

Alone.

He disappeared in a blur, never allowing a prying sight to catch a glimpse of him, and he crossed the entrance under the cloak of callous winds. He erased the distance between his forgotten shadow and her slender shape, contently sitting at a desk among the lonely floor.

The concentrated winds alerted her to his presence and as his gaze fell over her back, he noticed every single muscle in her body tensing under his presence. Never respecting her need for personal space or maybe it was because he enjoyed flustering her, Kal-El leaned over her seated form, letting his arms come down around her until his hands could grip the edge of her desk. It was an action of stabilization, be it physically for the strong force he expelled out of his body and even mentally, because as he breathed in, his senses slipped from the tensing control, drawing her in. His eyes trailed over the information on her screen and he welcomed it as a distraction, ignoring the luring warmth of her back plaguing his chest.

It was exactly the information he needed and carefully, he let his lips edge close to her ear and it almost caused him to smirk as he felt her stiffen at his proximity. "I need that information."

Her reaction was instant, as if it only took so little of him to bring out the feisty personality to the surface, and in a swift movement, he felt her chair digging into his stomach as she stood up and promptly turned towards him. He straightened himself to his full height, always wanting to tower over her and with a quick gesture of his hand, he moved the chair to the side, making it roll out of his way.

Her eyes narrowed and she kept her body contracted under the tension he had created inside her. "What the hell are you doing here?"

He deliberately kept a respectable distance between them and his gaze rose to meet hers. "I need that information."

Her jaw tightened and her fingers curled under the edge of her desk. "No, you don't. And you can't just waltz in here like that!"

He raised a skeptical brow and his eyes briefly trailed over the building. "There isn't much security here." His stare came back on her, never wanting to let her out of his sight. "Besides, you're the only one on this floor."

She glared and her arms challengingly crossed under her chest. "I'm not giving you anything."

He narrowed his eyes, forcing them to trace out the delicate features of her face, purposely ignoring the shift her movement had caused and overlooking just how nicely her dark-blue silk blouse allured to her motion. She was defiant, always stubborn and never granting him his command. He wasn't sure how he received her attitude, irritatingly because she was careless enough to make things harder for him or appealingly, because she actually had the boldness to defy him.

But she hadn't defied him two nights ago… How did their momentum ever fell into place?

Recognizing the lack of control, his jaw tensed and his words were mark by a harshness he didn't restrained whenever he was in her presence. "I didn't ask." And he took a step into her, as if it would intimidate the strength of his wandering thoughts. His action forced her to lean back on her desk and it seemed that she also tried to avoid any contact between them. She edged closer to the smooth surface of her desk, gaining a half-seated position, and the effort caused the high slit of her skirt to part against a taut thigh.

He couldn't let his eyes linger over her and his gaze bounced off the newly revealed skin to explore the items on her desk, searching for a clue that could lead his mind towards a safer ground and refusing to acknowledge any sensation that was caused by her. A brow angled itself upwards when he caught sight of her memory key, the exact one he had seen her slip inside the pocket of her jacket. It was laying beyond her keyboard and he wondered if the information was still engraved in the electric component. He leaned over her, letting one of her knees fall between his parting thighs as he took a small step forward, his hand reaching pass her waist and behind her back to seize the key.

Noticing his intention and never letting herself get distracted by his closeness, her fingers rapidly latched on to his wrist and she tried to pull him back. Her movement was streaked by the sudden panic that rose inside her and it had been enough to let him know that the information was still upon the small electronic surface. He let her stop his hand, but he never authorized her to push him away. He felt her nails digging against his skin when she finally realized that he was being as stubborn as her.

Kal-El forced his teeth together when he felt the warmth of her breath gliding against the side of his throat and with the added pressure she was causing on the skin of his inner wrist, he felt a vivid flare disturb the stillness in his lower stomach.

"That's not what you were looking for." Her voice was calm, making it appear as if she was in control, and he didn't like it.

He forced his features to reflect an undisturbed façade and he turned his face towards hers to catch her gaze. "And how do you know what I was looking for?" but he deepened his voice, almost as if he wanted to lull her into him.

She reclined her head backwards, as much as their position allowed it. "You were searching the laboratories and this information doesn't come from there."

Kal-El's eyes narrowed and he straightened his back, completely towering over her and forcing her to look up at him. "How do you know that?" There wasn't any way for her to have access to that knowledge. He had always caught her on the 24th floor and he knew that she had never made her way in the laboratories.

Her lips curved into a small smirk and her eyes almost shimmered in mockery. "Did you really think you could investigate one of our facilities and never get caught?"

"Yes." His response had been gritted out between his teeth. He had been extremely careful and he had memorized every alarm, every camera, and every trap inside that building. He couldn't have been caught again.

Her lips never relented from the teasing smirk. "Well apparently you've been too reckless, because I saw something that says otherwise."

He thought back, his mind shuffling through the recent events, nothing in the papers or on the news had mentioned a second sighting of him. It could only be that his slip had recently been discovered and hadn't been transformed into a groundbreaking story. "Where is it?"

She glared and her lips straightened at his request. "I'm not giving you anything," she repeated and her fingers released his wrist before her hands landed on his chest, trying to force him into taking a step back.

He swiftly caught both of her wrists between his hands, ceasing her motion and powerfully letting himself loom over her. "Where is it?"

She pulled her wrists down, trying to escape his hold. "Believe me, you're wasting your time."

A pounding panic slithered through his chest and it was strong enough to apprehend the control residing in his mind, loosening it. He tightened his grasp over her forearms and he pulled her into strong chest, while angling his head to the side to keep her gaze into his. "Where is it?"

She never backed down from him and her response was hinting dangerously low. "Get your hands off me."

It only made his jaw stiffen. "Lois," he stated warningly.

She narrowed her eyes as her name passed his lips. "_Kryptonian_, let me go right now." Her tone was cold, but the undertones were starting to shiver with nervousness.

And he caught it, but it wasn't only her voice that had grasped his awareness. It was her warmth and the pleasant curves of her body pressing against him. He smirked, reaching for a different tactic. "I won't let you go until you tell me where it is, and believe me. I have nowhere to be tonight." He felt her pulling again, trying to disengage her wrists from his solid grip, but he merely tightened his hands against her attempts.

Lois sighed in frustration and she pounded her fists into his chest. "I'm going to scream if you don't let me go."

He let out a small chuckle and he leaned his face into hers. "Nobody will reach you in time and it wouldn't matter, because as soon as you part those lips, I'll make damn sure that it won't be a scream escaping them."

She swallowed unevenly, but still, she defiantly raised her chin. "You're hurting me."

Instinctively, his fingers loosened around her wrists, but he wondered if he had indeed inflicted an ache upon her skin or if she just knew how to play him. Kal-El let her go completely and he took a step back, trying to erase her presence from his mind and any emotions that tentatively rose inside his chest, the ones that indicated that he seemed to care. It couldn't matter.

He shrugged his shoulders, showing an indifference he desperately wished he could feel. "Fine." He took a few steps forward, brushing against her as he passed. "You're useless to me anyway." Still, he couldn't resist baiting her.

She snickered and turned her body to face him. "Funny, it didn't look like that a few seconds ago."

He overlook her verbal taunt and his eyes started to trace out every single desk inside the building, moving with quickening speed in order to catch a clue. The evidence of his breaking and entering had to be confined in these walls and as his eyes settled on the higher floor of The Daily Planet, he realized just how easy it was for him to access what he needed.

Kal-El's gaze finally came back on her. "It looks like I didn't need your help after all," he added, the edge of his lips rising in a smirk.

He prepared an energetic build-up of pressure throughout the muscles of his legs, and it only took him a swift jolt to propel his body forward, disappearing between the shadows as he ran up the hidden staircase of the tall building that would lead him to the last floor. He stopped himself at the entrance of the prestigious level and his eyes surveyed the dim-lighted scene, trying to relocate the desk that was holding his illegal adventure.

Kal-El's legs parted in big steps and he noticed with satisfaction that the floor had been completely deserted for the night. His gaze briefly landed on a silver plaque displayed upon one of the frail walls of the cubicle: David Riley had been crafted into the surface. A stifling twist of anxiety caught itself over his chest as he realized that this wasn't the first reporter who had taken up the story of his misbehavior. And he wondered, just how many people were desperately trying to catch a glimpse of him?

He never tried to evade the smothering anxiety fuelling inside him and it was only because that sentiment was recognizable through his senses. Being tormented with those sensations reinforced the rationality of his thoughts, but feeling untraceable emotions that provoked him on an intimate ground made his confusion grow as it blurred the lines between his ideals and what he really wanted.

The anxiety made it easier because it never presented him with a choice and it was able to concentrate his judgment, affording him a view of what he had to do. His world was the most important priority and his individuality didn't hold an impressive value. Without his culture, who knows what he would have become or what place he could have called home.

Kal-El rolled the desk chair backwards, allowing his body to take a seat across the smooth leather, and his fingers rose to start the computer. The monitor greeted him with a small window, requesting the password that would allow him to view the personal contents of the small electronic tower. With his broaden knowledge in technology, he was able to dodge the request and immediately access the desktop. He searched through the recent documents, easily locating the inculpating video. He yanked his mind from acknowledging the small build-up of guilt that was quickly overcoming his anxiety and with a few and precise actions upon the screen he was able to delete the file from its memory, as if it had never even existed.

He heard the low chime of the elevator behind him, but the sound resonated strikingly against his awareness, she had caught up with him. His hand moved over the mouse, directing the on-screen cursor through a series of small windows in order to shut down the computer, putting it to rest.

The clicking of her heels rapidly bounced off the floor as she moved in quick strides in order to reach him. Never daring to look over his shoulder, Kal-El stood and opened the drawer to his left, retrieving the note pad that had clued him in. His eyes scanned the information rapidly and his fingers tore the sheets of paper away from the thin metal spiral that kept them together. He replaced the booklet in its original position and he turned his body just as she closed in on him, the sound of her heels echoing her halt through the deafness enveloping the entire floor.

His pulse emerged into his audition as he waited for her reaction, his body holding an immediate tension.

Lois glanced at the closing computer behind him before directing her solemn gaze into his apprehensive one. "What did you do?" Her voice had lost its spark and she let it fall between them in disappointment.

Kal-El swallowed, his throat constricting against the lamented swell that was mentally trying to suffocate him. "What had to be done."

He pulled his eyes away from her and forced his legs forward to move pass her, ignoring the wound in her composure and erasing in soft tendencies that were making themselves known, because every single one of them wanted to reach for her. There was a surprising part of him that wanted to sooth her and in the process, he would have defended his actions. He almost glared at the irritating notion, if anything; he didn't need to be defensive. He owed her absolutely nothing.

"You had no right to do that." Her voice deepened with animosity, accenting the utter failure she now saw in him.

Against his better judgment, he turned his body towards her. "It doesn't matter-"

"It doesn't matter?!" She took a few steps towards him, each stride echoing the growing momentum of her anger. "Are you even conscious of the world you live in? You have no rights here and we are the ones who makes this world turn. Whatever information we can get on you is welcomed, because we deserve to know exactly what your race is plotting. Hiding among the shadows and acting as reckless as you have only mounts the irritating tension between us all. And now, with that shit you just pulled, you effectively gave us another reason to mistrust you."

His gaze fell over her, but the infuriating emotion he was suppose to feel at her words never pierced through his chest. An ache had eased itself within him, creeping inside his chest and throbbing only because of the disappointment filtering through her eyes. She may have been right, but she didn't know the underlying truth behind his actions, his motivation and all the common thoughts shared throughout his entire nation.

Kal-El felt the undeniable urge to defend himself, but it was something he couldn't do. Because at this very moment, with all the ragging emotions of dissatisfaction circling her, it was easier for him to forget that she ever meant the fragment of something to him. It was for a greater good to leave her in this state of mind than to reassure her, to let her know that he never imagined hurting any one of them. It would be easier on both of them if he let her contemplate just how devastating they could be, because is she never faltered from those thoughts, he would never have to chance to approach her again.

It was actually hard for him to walk away from this, even if his mind couldn't even apprehend the reality of the situation between them and all the linked emotions. And something had clicked, a part of him was reflecting inside her. All of her, her ideals, her vision and what she wanted to achieve in her life, it was her devotion to her own race. He couldn't reprimand her for being selfless and defensive when she was confronted with the likes of him, because he was doing the same thing.

Besides, she couldn't mean anything, so why not leave her with a strong sentiment that he could never be trusted.

He left her just like he had the last time, disappearing from her sight as if he had never been there, but still assuring her that he existed by the breeze that would carelessly brush through her long curls.

_x-x-x_

It was late, the hours decisively signifying darkness as the night had long fell all around the atmosphere.

Lois hadn't left the edifice for the comforting warmth of her apartment. She had returned to her desk after his departure with a strong discomfort rising inside her chest, stifling everything that had happened between them and transforming every event in a shadow of something that had never really existed.

She never allowed her thoughts to drift back to him, recognizing just how futile the pondering would be. It was easier this way and she never had a chance to realize what his presence meant, if for either her or the world they didn't share.

Burying herself in her work was always gratifying and she didn't let such an incident derive her thoughts from her aspiration. Her eyes traced every word grazing the surface of her screen, her mind fighting the frenzy as she surveyed many subjects that she couldn't quite understand. Scientific material passed her eyes as she searched for the information she was really looking for.

A source had tipped her off towards a potential scandal, it seemed that the facility, Troy Laboratory of Modern Research, was buying organs from the black market in order to breach a discovery in the scientific world, advertently fuelling its illegal economy. If only it had stopped there, but it was strongly hinted that a few senators were aiding them by deriving funds into T.L.M.R.'s bank accounts.

Lois had explored the virtual folders she had obtained, but as of yet, nothing could lead her to the conclusion that this was actually happening. Still, she kept herself awake and continued her research, until she could find something, anything, that could help her case.

But as she reached the information in a secluded folder and read what was happening behind closed doors, her back stiffened at the implication. What was before her eyes seemed so much more alarming than what she had been looking for and the further she read, the further the realization sunk into her mind. This wasn't good, and unfortunately, the matter couldn't be explored effectively through her.

Lois's hand reached for her phone, never hesitating to forward this matter to someone with greater expertise and who actually had the resources to investigate this seemingly precarious matter. Her fingers pressed into the numeric keys, dialing a number from her memory and she patiently waited for someone to receive her call.

A familiar male voice drifted through the receiver, indicating his voice mail and encouraging her to leave a message.

Her fingers tightened over the phone. "Hey, it's me. Listen, remember when I told you that I was going after T.L.M.R. Well, I have something that I think you should see."

* * *

Well, I hope you guys like it! 

What to expect for the next chapter?

Lois gets herself in a situation where her hands are tied.

Unfortunately, I don't know when the next update will be because I have a lot of work to do for school and a few things I have to deal with. Hopefully, it won't take that long.

Thank you! And review please!


	7. The Intrusion

Hey guys!

Yes, I'm back.

I just wanted to apologize for the extremely long absence, school has been keeping me extremely busy, but I only have two exams to go! Also, I just finished moving, so that also kept me trapped in packing, boxes and lack of internet connection. But everything is almost going smoothly, and hopefully the updates will follow the same path.

As always a big and special thank you to everyone who reviewed, you guys keep me happily sane.

Oxford, Nora (hey Nora, thanks for the never-ending support, and I'm so glad you enjoy, so much my story. School is… abusive, but it's almost over! Yay!), BICaRdiBrEeZa, lois mars, MysticWolf1, a reader, Rebecc05, CrazyLikeaFox.

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The Dark Dalliance

Chapter Six – The Intrusion

_x-x-x_

1. to thrust oneself without permission or welcome.

_x-x-x_

She was half-awake.

Her body was nestled deeply into her covers, enjoying the comforting warmth it offered as her breathing eased itself in a familiar pattern, forcing the rise and the fall of her chest through her weak slumber. The night was heavy against her form and the darkness invading her room slithered through her mind, making it ache for all the hours that had passed by. Fading memories stayed too closely to her thoughts, forcing flashes of what had been into her awareness.

He was at the center of it all, a disruptive shadow she couldn't leave behind, and his intangible presence never allowed a fragment of calmness to sooth her out. She was trapped between the mental walls of her mind that held two very distinct sentiments. An unflinching part of her wanted to challenge him for the audacious way he patrolled throughout Metropolis as if he deserved everything that was hidden from him. She wanted to fight against him for the strong feeling of discomfort he had managed to pump in her chest after his abrupt departure a few nights ago. She wanted to tear him apart for the numbing bite of remorse that grazed over her skin, the feeling expelling from the words that had escaped her lips without a second thought. Still, she had been right to confront him after what he had done and his motivations behind his actions never dulled the feeling from her awareness.

However, another part inside her lived carelessly and it had let itself be caught in the hot-blooded and reckless mystery that surrounded him. That part of her was almost ready to be corrupt by him… How wrong and misguided were those urges?

A echoing ring easily glided through her mind, perturbing her as she sought for a complete slumber. The sound resonated throughout the walls of her room and it slowly pulled her out of her sleep, with each layer of wakefulness she breached the ringing seemed to become clearer and louder.

It was her phone.

A slight groan of frustration passed her lips as her hand blindingly reached for the aggravating object. Lazily, her fingers curled themselves around the receiver and she dragged it to her ear. "What?"

"It took you quite awhile," The male voice remarked lightly, but he then tried to gain a seductive tone. "Were you dreaming about me?"

Lois glanced at the red numbers glowing upon the interface of her clock and a small sighed passed her lips as she avoided the useless question. "It's two in the morning."

"It's eight in the evening where I am," he retorted.

She brought a hand to her eyes, her fingers rubbing the fragile skin as if it could erase the drowsiness from her mind. "Where are you?"

He groaned slightly. "Still in New Zealand and things are going way too slow."

Lois stifled a yawn and she curled herself deeper into her covers, her mind trying to grasp on to the conversation. "Oh. You got my message?"

"I did, must be very important if you're delegating your story to me."

Lois frowned and it seemed that it only took that spark to center her mind. "I'm not giving you my story. I just found something suspicious and thought it would be better if you got a look at it, besides, I think it fits your job description better than mine."

"Weren't you researching T.L.M.R. because they bought organs on the black market?" he asked, trying to find a purpose for his presence in that particular lead.

"Yeah, but I haven't found anything on that yet and the research I found is throwing me off. You really should look over it."

"Well, what did you find?"

Lois sighed softly, letting her head fall to the side as she tried to recollect everything she had uncovered. "It looks like it's a long-term and restricted project. They're using dangerous chemicals that are easily found in bombs and nuclear weapons, but it seems that the project revolves exclusively around a… unique substance from an unidentified source. Anyways, there are large amounts of money being thrown into that project and they all come from the same Swiss bank account."

"How much money are we talking about?"

Lois hummed softly as she tried to remember the exact numbers she had seen. "They received around 3 million last month, six months before that it was 7 million and almost one year ago they received 12 million, which is when the project was unofficially launched."

He sighed. "Yeah, that's a lot of money, but still it doesn't mean that it's a threat. A lot of laboratories conduct experiments such as these."

Lois grimaced and stretched her legs out of her fetal position. "Yeah, I know, but this project stands out from their regular activities and T.L.M.R. is not known to research that field. Plus, where ever that money comes from it isn't from their regular sponsors or the government. When I researched deeper, I found out that this particular project is related to other, smaller, facilities located in remote areas across the state and none of them are registered as being a part of T.L.M.R. So either they're working with someone else or they're trying to hide something."

"Those other facilities, do you know who owns them?"

"I haven't gotten that far yet and I have a friend who's working on that Swiss bank account where the money is taken from."

He sighed again as his mind gathered all the evidence. "It sounds suspicious… Okay, I'll figure something out, but I would like to have more information on what exactly they're doing."

Lois shrugged lazily. "I don't know. I only got the draft, that information must be with one of the head scientists working on the project."

"Okay, so… You think you could figure it out?"

She rolled her eyes and groaned through the phone, clearly making her frustration known. "No, I can't! I have the Daily Planet, school and homework. I called you exactly so I didn't have to do it and not feel guilty about not investigating further."

"Come on," he encouraged, and she could even hear a smile forming over his face. "You already broke in there and let's face it, if this is indeed dangerous and it needs to be stopped, then the faster we act the faster we can prevent it. Besides you already know every nock and cranny of that place from the blueprints I've sent you."

Lois whined softly. "But, it's going to take me a lot of time to discover everything."

"Well, it's going to take you less time than me and I probably won't get back until next month, and even then, I don't know if I'll have the time to do it. And, this goes without saying, this could be an amazing story."

She was starting to cave and she silently cursed him for being able to pull her in so easily. "Fine."

His grin was felt through his tone. "Thank you, Lo. Listen, I'll do some research on my side and talk to a few people, if I find anything I'll let you know." He paused and his voice got softer. "Do you need anything?"

The corners of her lips curved. "No, I'm good. Thanks."

"Okay. I'll talk to you soon."

"Okay." With a soft sigh, Lois placed the receiver back on her nightstand. It seemed that things weren't ready to leave her out of the facility just yet, or anything surrounding it.

_x-x-x_

"Concentrate on my voice Kal-El."

His father's words eased themselves inside him and it almost seemed like the tone of his voice was traveling throughout his veins, suppressing any traceable elements of deceit. It lured his awareness into a remarkable state of acceptance and he was able to grasp every ounce of power slumbering inside the calming storm that was his mind.

"You are the only one controlling your thoughts and let them drift you towards that power."

He was floating, keeping his body so perfectly still and letting it rise as the power fuelled the energy coursing through his entire being. It shimmered in his veins, replacing his father's voice with a vicious determination that pumped through his chest.

It was all too consuming, but he forced his mind to relinquish in this moment of balance, searing it against his memory as if it was the only thing he ever needed.

"Break away from everything that binds you."

An eyebrow involuntarily arched up at those words. He needed to let every distraction escape him, letting them fade from his awareness until they became nothing more than whispers of what might have been. Every impulse, every desire and every yearning that didn't strive on his ideals had to be locked away. He needed to release them from the unforgiving grip of his consciousness and drive them into an oblivion of desperate repression until he couldn't even recognize what had been there in the first place. He had to ignore the instincts that were deriving his thoughts towards unstable grounds, but most of all, he needed to feel the want to let them go.

He didn't really want to.

His mind perceived the impasse as it caught itself in an opposition of inner strength and indecision forced his senses to falter from his state of balance. His body never levitated towards a greater distance and he couldn't access the growing energy of his power.

"Make every weakness disappear from your mind." Jor-El's tone became firmer, obviously he had noticed the lack of upwards motion from his son.

_Lois. _

A powerful instinct broke through his awareness and it shattered his concentration into thousands of fragment, leaving the pieces of his aspiration graze the caving walls of his mind until he could find the devotion to bring them back together.

His eyes snapped open and he felt the core of his strength being ripped away from his grasp. He let his mind shut itself around the lost of the power and he couldn't even feel the need of reparation gliding through him. It was almost as if he didn't want it.

A strong vibration jolted his senses towards the reality of the moment as his back connected forcefully with the frozen ground of the Fortress.

His deception over the unaccomplished task never diminished in intensity. Every time he failed, he would feel a perceptible scar burn itself into his chest, adding to the pressure of his suffocating torments, and an uncontrollable splinter of anger would emerge, hovering over his thoughts and punishing them for having the audacity of weaken him.

But this time, it felt different almost as if those sensations had been submerged by something so much darker.

He was still feeling guilty.

That feeling wasn't associated with what he had done a few nights ago, but rather over the things he had let unsaid. If he had defended himself, maybe that feeling would have never breached his mind.

He didn't appreciate the feeling all that much and he was growing restless over all those other emotions that were linking themselves to it. And it seemed that nothing was powerful enough to sooth him out.

His father's voice broke through the obscurity of his mind. "That's enough for today. We'll continue this another time."

Kal-El's lips twisted in a small grimace as he felt a sense of vertigo spike through his stomach. "I can do this," he assured him.

The corners of Jor-El's lips curved. "And I don't have the slightest doubt in you." But the gentle smile was soon erased from his features and a solemn concern filtered through his eyes. "You seem distracted."

He lifted his body from the floor, his hands reaching for his shoulders and dusting away the crystalline powder that signified his downfall. "I'm fine."

Jor-El's eyes rapidly moved over his form in a thoughtful gaze. "Follow me."

Without a verbal protest, but with his head perched a little too low, Kal-El followed his father through the fortitude of the frozen corridors of the Fortress until they reached the lower ground of the prestigious chamber, the ones where the debates and the congregations would take place before every concerned gaze.

His father moved towards the crafted round table and he halted his strides when he stood next to his devoted place as the leader of the Council. "Come sit."

Kal-El's eyes fell over the table, his gaze absorbing every rich detail of the ice that formed it and he hesitated slightly before seating himself in his father's position.

Jor-El walked to the opposite end, standing so tall behind another Kryptonian's seat. "One day, you'll take my place."

He nodded his head slowly and he didn't have to force the meaning of his words into his mind, he knew it too well already. "I know."

Jor-El's gaze softened over the image before him. "I want you to be ready and I only want you to accept this if it is truly what you want."

His eyes reached for the ones of his father and a small smile grazed his lips at the emotion that was willingly tracing the blue depths. "I do want this and nothing would make me happier than to follow in your footsteps."

Jor-El smiled. "You are my greatest pride… and your mother's as well. But if the pressure is blinding you, you need to let it be known. If not it could truly bring you down and you might not be able to come back from it."

He swallowed unevenly and he let his gaze fall over the rounded table. "It's… I know I can do this and it is something I aspire to."

"Then what is that weight you carry on your shoulders?"

Kal-El sighed deeply and he couldn't ignore what his father was stating, so he acknowledged the only thing he knew. "I still can't figure it out."

Jor-El nodded and stretched his arms over the vast chamber of brightening ice. "This, isn't for you yet, you still have much to learn and I can assure you that this position will only come to you when you will be ready to assume it."

A warm feeling of reassurance expelled itself throughout his chest and he nodded gratefully, but before any words could escape his lips, the massive door of the chamber's entrance shifted open and his mother entered cautiously.

A large smile caught her features, but she didn't approach the center of the room. "How did the training go?"

Jor-El turned his attention solely on his wife and he matched her grin almost perfectly. "Very good." He glanced over his shoulder, the curve of his lips never faltering. "He rose well above fifteen feet."

Having the reassurance that she could interrupt them with feeling out of place, Lara took a few steps across the chamber until one of her hand could graze the comfort of Jor-El's arm. "Kal-El, you don't mind if I steal your father away do you?"

He smiled slightly at the display before him. "Of course not."

Jor-El acknowledged him with a small nod of departure before letting Lara guide him across the glimmering floor of the vast chamber and towards the heavy doors that offered the only entrance. As their presence faded from the room, Kal-El's features fell from the gracious façade. It was only when the massive doors closed in front of his eyes, that he felt a heavy discomfort disturb the sudden ease his father's words had provoked.

His parents… They had each other to fall back upon.

They had each other. And they had just left him in this massive chamber of ice…

Alone.

His finger graze indistinct patterns over the rigid ice of the table and the notions running inside his head only created an aching sentiment throughout his chest.

He sadly recognized something he wished he couldn't feel.

_x-x-x_

Lois's mind was spinning, the blow had been brutally precise and her head received the impact with too much absorption. Her legs faltered as the violent strength disturbed her senses and she was force to take a step back if she wanted her body to regain its balance. The guard appreciated her moment of weakness and he moved towards her again as his hand came up to the corner of his lips, whipping away the blood from the wound Lois had created by a skillful punch. Her eyes caught sight of his minatory movement and an immediate instinct of defense drove through her awareness, urging her to react as soon as she could dismiss the throbbing haze resonating through her head.

Lois felt a bracelet of cool metal clasping around her wrist, the sound clashed with the darkness of the laboratory and it sealed her in restraints. Her eyes instantly came into focus as a sharp pressure of fear closed around her chest, but the guard was rapidly lifting her arm above her head, looping the hard silver chain over a slender metal pipe. She raised her arm, her palm and fingers held stiffly together to strike him, but the man was still able to dodge her attack. He caught her wrist between a bruising grip and forced it upwards to join her captive one before effectively bringing the steel clasp around her skin, closing the metal together.

The guard took a step away from her, his chest heaving heavily under the strained respiration and his strides making him have an uneven stand because of the kick she had directed at his knee only a minute earlier.

Her sense were rapidly claiming back her awareness, pushing and pulling at all those defensive tactics. Her gaze followed the guard's motions as he turned sideways and his fingers reached for the two-way radio transceiver on his belt; he was going to call for back up. Highly unwilling to get herself caught, Lois swung her leg upward in a graceful arc, forcing the instep of her foot to connect forcefully with the center of the back of his neck and striking a pressure point between the guard's third and fourth cervical vertebrae. Her kick rent him unconscious before he could even hit the floor.

Her leg came down, searching for support, but Lois almost came up short and she was force to stabilize herself on the tip of her toes, even with the slight heel of her boot, she couldn't completely erase the distance between her feet and the cold floor.

Lois balanced her head backwards, arching her neck gracefully and letting the end of her ponytail graze the middle of her leather-clad back. Her chest rose as her lungs reached out to inhale and her lips welcomed the air surrounding her, she needed to regain the equilibrium of her senses if she wanted to evaluate the situation she had just forced herself into. There wasn't any dramatic pain vibrating through her body, but she could feel a slight ache against her temple, exactly where the guard had hit her, and a discomfort was starting to swell under the edge of the metal encircling her wrists.

Her brows came together in a thoughtful frown as her fingers graze the steel chain that was straightening her body upwards. Lois tugged her wrist down, trying to find a loosening that could ultimately set her free, and she could only groan out of frustration when she didn't felt any.

Her eyes drifted open, perceiving the shadows that were scattered around the surfaces of the basement laboratory by the faint glow of a small lamp. Large and often slender pipes garnished the low ceiling, allowing any liquid or gas substances to travel throughout the area and giving the room an acute air of concealment.

Her gaze slid over her wrists and her jaw tensed, she was handcuffed to a metal pipe. She was going to kill him.

Lois steadily moved her neck forward, allowing her eyes to survey the room. She glanced at the guard, fallen over face down on the floor, and then on the desk in front of her. She raised her leg, trying to gauge the distance between her restrained body and the desk, but her foot quickly came back when she realized that she couldn't reach it or any tools laying on its surface. She tried to remember the contents of her pocket; her USB flash drive, her keys, identity cards and a small leather case that held the necessary instruments to break a lock. It was in the outside pocket of her leather coat.

How the hell was she suppose to access it with her hands tied above her head?

She bent her head backwards, her eyes trailing over the ceiling once again, estimating the distance between the low surface and the metal bar; her legs and thighs would never pass over the edge of it, rending it impossible for her to dig out the instruments.

Her face instinctively dropped forward in defeat and she let out another frustrated growl. How did she always manage to get herself into-

It was always instant.

Her back stiffened and every muscles in her shoulders came together tightly as she felt a vivid breeze wrap around the delicate exposed skin of her lower back. The unforgettable wind drifted upwards to graze the flesh of her neck and it forced her pulse into a dramatic frenzy of petrified anticipation. Lois felt the powerful warmth of a body rising behind her, causing her breath to still in her throat, frozen in surprise and unable to sooth out the tightening in her chest.

_Dear god… No._

A startling jolt frightened the anticipation slithering through her stomach as she felt the fullness of his lips pressing faintly against the sensitive skin behind her ear, and she almost felt a whimper escape her at the teasing intrusion.

"Is it just me or does our encounters keep getting better and better?" He had deepened his voice, letting it glide through the sobering darkness enveloping them.

Lois angled her face to the side and she nestled her cheek in the cool leather that was layering her raised arm, trying to escape his titillating touch. "I guess it depends on which receiving end you are."

His lips rose in a taunting smirk, making her feel his amusement against her skin. "Well, considering the position you're in I don't thing I'll be receiving anything."

Lois let out an uncomfortable groan at his response and her breathing eased itself in a familiar pattern once she felt his haunting warmth fading away as he circled her.

He came into her view, his strong back and shoulders set in an unbreakable stand to accentuate the dominating air of his presence, and his gaze landed on the guard before him. Slowly, he turned towards her and his eyes traced out her form before seeking out her own gaze. "How do you always manage to get yourself in trouble?" he asked, letting a fragment of perplexity filter through his tone.

Her eyes hardened in a glare. "I don't always get into trouble."

He blinked and zeroed in on the metal encasing her wrist. "You're handcuff to a metal bar," he deadpanned.

She threw him a sarcastic look and forced her frustration through the tone of her voice. "Thanks, I didn't catch that."

His gaze lingered over her body before he turned sideways, directing his vision on the fallen guard beside him. "He's alive."

Lois rolled her eyes. "Yeah, I know. I just knocked him out."

She watch him carefully as he bend forward, clasping his hand around the guard's arm, and he rapidly disappeared out of her sight, leaving the careless winds to graze her timidly. She blinked a few times and, almost as if he felt her confusion, he reappeared near her, without the guard that had found a forced slumber on the floor.

"Where did you put him?"

He overlooked her question as his interest had been caught by something laying a few feet away from him. Taking two steps forward he kneeled to pick up an object. He frowned at the instrument he was now wilding between his hands and he straightened his back. He turned towards her, affording her a view of the crossbow as his fingers inspected the small arrow it held. A strong spark of electricity flared up between his skin, but he remained unaffected by the energy it expelled.

He let the fainting electricity crackle between his fingers as he sought out her gaze. "Is this yours?"

Lois sighed softly as she tried to erase the discomfort in her extended body. "It's to short-circuit the surveillance cameras."

He raised a suspicious eyebrow her away, but let the device graze the surface of the desk before he turned his attention towards her again. "Aren't you supposed to be searching through the higher floors?"

"Change of plans, just like yours apparently," she replied wryly.

He glanced sideways at the active computer and he crossed his arms over his chest as he nonchalantly leaned against the desk's surface. "Did you find what you were looking for?"

Her lips straightened. "No. You?"

He calmly shook his head and his position offered that he found the situation quite comfortable, but her irritation grew as his eyes gained a definite gleam of enjoyment.

A restless anxiety disturbed the calmness she was trying to achieve considering her pose, and his gaze never decreased the pending sentiment. "What?!"

The small curve of his lips revealed a self-assertive smirk and he stood, taking the necessary strides for his warmth to haunt her body again. He erased the comfortable distance between them and he let his gaze shamelessly roam over her body, not even trying to conceal the dark appreciation. It was only when his eyes found hers that she suddenly realized just how much he could be enjoying her predicament. Her entire body was drawn upwards by the suggestive restraints that clasped around her wrists, her short leather jacket had rise against the taut muscles of her stomach, defiantly exposing the fragile skin. And she was left waiting, unable to stop him if he dared to act. This couldn't be good, and the feeling that hit her at the realization only transformed her anxiety into a small jolt of fright that clashed intensively with the odd anticipation flaring inside her stomach.

_He wouldn't dare. _

He eased his body closely against hers, letting the cool metal of his belt buckle graze the skin of her abdomen and the warmth of his strong chest linger against her. He raised his arms and propped his hands over the metal bar, on each side of her captive wrists, and he leaned his face slightly into hers, the faint smirk never wavering from his features. "You're in quite an interesting position."

Lois swallowed unevenly and she forced her senses not to recognize him, not to draw him in. She angled her face slightly backwards in order to confront his gaze. "Well, then I'm so happy to provide you with this form of entertainment."

His fingers closed themselves around the bar and he relaxed his elbows on either side of her arms. "You know, if you ask me nicely I could probably find a way to help you out."

She inhaled a controlled breath. "No, I'm good." Her voice eased itself with contempt, clashing with the derision in his tone.

He cocked his head sideways and leaned the back of his head against the inside of her forearm, his brows furrowed in mock-contemplation. "Still mad?"

An edge of disbelief caught itself in her gaze. "You destroyed the professional work of a journalist. Yes, I'm still mad!"

His features were marred behind a serious façade and his eyes caught that ever-present piercing control. "That evidence was incriminating."

Lois glared and her jaw tightened as she felt the shimmering confrontation rising between them. "Well you're not supposed to be here!"

His brow matched her glare. "Neither are you!"

She unintentionally angled her face closer to his. "It's not the same thing. I'm investigating my own _race_!"

"And I'm trying to protect mine!" His voice broke through the forceful edge, letting the pressure he was feeling filter through his tone.

Her features fell at his admission and she could feel a small bounce of panic alarming her. By the tightening of his lips, she figured that he hadn't meant for that to get out. "Are you serious?"

He tightened his jaw and his gaze turned decisively cold. "No."

She glared, bearing her irritation at his closing mind. "Than what the hell are you really doing here?!"

He dodged her question with one of his own, fully implying that none of them were ready to reveal what was behind their motivation. "What are _you _doing here?"

She let out an irritating breathe, resisting the urge to just kick him straight. Instead, her mind reacted to what had been a constant in their encounters, just to try to throw him off. "Are you following me?"

His gaze lingered over her features. "No," he replied categorically.

She smirked slightly. "You know, they say that: Once is happenstance. Twice is coincidence. Three times is enemy action."

He glared at her. "That's nice," he replied dryly, but his gaze softened in curiosity. "Ian L. Fleming?"

Lois raised her brow at the odd question. "What?"

"The quote," he clarified.

Her eyebrows rose together in slight incredulity. "You read James Bond?"

He rolled his eyes. "I was bored," he replied defensively.

Her features lingered in puzzlement over his confirmation, but she quickly grew serious. "Is that why you are really investigating them?"

He looked sideways in indecision, but his eyes slowly came back to hers, a void of possible emotion. "You can't really expect me to respond to that do you?" He hesitated. "Even if I told you the truth… It wouldn't change anything. I would still be doing what I do and you still wouldn't have any idea as to how to stop me."

Her gaze hardened. "And then you wonder why I wouldn't give you my information."

He never let his adored façade slip away from him, but he always lacked a considerable amount of control with his eyes. His gaze drifted down between them, becoming almost amused and baiting. "I never really asked."

A freezing jolt of subdued anticipation traveled down her spine, straightening her body, as she felt one of his hands coming down between the small space of their chest. His unflinching gaze kept hers and he grasped the edge of the zipper closing her leather jacket together. He pulled it down, deliberately setting a slow pace as if he knew that it would make the anticipation in her stomach blaze.

Still, a shot of panic grazed her chest at his intrusive gesture and Lois instinctively yanked at her restraints. She suppressed the wince in her throat and let a ragging and trembling voice pass her lips. "The information isn't in there anymore," she lied.

The corner of his lips revealed a small smirk and he defiantly ignored the implication of her tone as he let the back of his strong fingers graze the delicate skin of collarbone and then straight down between the valley of her breasts. "You seemed very adamant to stop me if that's not the case."

Her teeth came together, and she ignored the vivid pull the anticipation had over her slight state of panic. "It's your touch that I'm trying to stop."

His lips lost the infuriating curve and his eyes gained an impenetrable gaze of control. "Really," he deepened his voice, letting it fall between the quiet breaths separating their lips. "It didn't seem that way last week."

Lois boldly met his gaze, but her chest was burning at his arrogance, so much that she couldn't even create a well-deserved comeback. "I hate so many things about what you are."

His fingers left her skin, taking away the pleasant and unwelcome warmth, and she felt both his hands encircle the slenderness of her wrists. He passed his thumb between the metal restraints, as if testing the resistance.

His eyes momentarily flickered upwards before he returned his steady gaze on her. "I don't know if I can break them," he mocked with unconvinced regret.

She threw him a cold glare. "Are you kidding me?!"

Smirking, he kept her wrists between his hands and leaned his face above hers, forcing her neck to arch backwards to avoid an inescapable contact between their lips. "You know, I kept getting you out of tight situation."

Her eyebrow shot up. "You're point?"

His eyes danced across her face, always assessing her. "Maybe you're the one who willingly gets herself in these situations to get my attention."

Her lips parted at his blunt accusation. "Now how could that be possible? There's no way for me to know where you are, but you always seemed to be able to find me," she rationalized.

The gleam of enjoyment was back behind the piercing blue depths, proving that her accusation didn't hinder his resolve. She felt the lost of his hands around her wrists and her lips parted by their own desire as she felt his palms trace out the soft arc of her back. The shots of panic became longer throughout her chest, frizzling and pushing as they increased the rhythm of her pulse. Her breathing followed the erratic tempo of her heartbeat, unable to control itself as he audaciously let his fingers graze the exposed skin of her lower back.

He angled his face to the side, his nose brushing against the skin of her cheek. "It's because you panic."

Lois swallowed unevenly and forced her nails down in her palms, wishing that the small ache could submerge the pleasurable anticipation fuelling in her stomach. The panic still roamed carelessly throughout her chest, but it was rapidly transforming itself into a forbidden fever of intensity that forced the anticipation into an indescribable height of compliance.

She wanted…

"I don't panic," she hushed out, immobilizing the motion in her neck as she felt his breath dropping lower.

"Yes, you do." His thumbs grazed the contour of her hips and his fingers dug into the skin of her lower back as he pulled her semi-dangling form closer into his. "Whenever you're placing yourself in a dangerous situation your pulse gets this distinctive and irregular tempo and it irritatingly gets caught in my hearing."

"Then just stop listening to it." Her lips had parted to let out a moan, but there was too much of her that didn't want to comply with him.

His lips lingered over the dramatic dance of her pulse that hid beneath the sensitive skin of her throat. "I can't control it."

A moment of silence wrapped around them, only intensifying the effects of their closeness. Lois could barely breathe as she forced down a pant that desperately wanted to scream out. He stayed so perfectly in control of her in this restrained state that a sharp jolt of anger emerged between the anticipation of what he would do next, but it hadn't been strong enough to break through the impenetrable haze he was creating between them. A haze so desperately dark that she couldn't see the taboo reality enveloping them… One so frightfully deep that it shivered between too many shades of intensified reds. The anxiety in her stomach was tensing and twisting at the notion that he held so much control, but a strange sense of fiery pleasure soothed out the fearsome sentiments.

It was as if he was tearing her apart.

His lips brushed up against her jaw, never leaving a kiss behind, until his mouth could feel her faint intake of breath. "You should play nice with people who are trying to help."

His tone teased the lively side of her. "I would appreciate your help more if you weren't so arrogant about it." Her jaw clenched together, barely keeping a moan at bay, as she felt his palms grazing up under her jacket so his large hands could encircle her waist and his fingers kept a steady pressure over her spine, always keeping her closely to him.

Tentatively, he let his mouth touch hers, placing his lower lip between it. "It's not like you're making this any easier."

Lois inhaled as softly as she could and held her face perfectly still, almost too afraid of the suggestive contact he was forcing over her. "I'm handcuffed to a metal bar, believe me this couldn't be any easi-" a sharp intake of breath erupted in her throat, leaving the path clear for a faint moan to pass over his lips. He grazed his fingers down of spine, delicately massaging her flesh and forcing her hips to curve into pelvis as he erased any breathable space between them.

Her lips parted under his, almost inviting him and widely going against the rational thoughts drowning in her hazing mind. "This is so-"

He broke the words in her throat as he grasped her lower lip between his teeth, imprinting an invisible mark over the fragile skin before swiftly letting it go. "Not appropriate? I thought we already went through that."

Exactly, this had happened before.

Lois softly leaned her head back, trying to erase the feeling of his lips against her own even if her mind was nearly consumed by the restless warmth of his body and the haunting feeling of his impressive stature towering over her a little too powerfully.

Her gaze met his. "What's your name?" she sounded nearly breathless.

His eyes trailed over her features, his gaze light and almost… drowning. "Why?"

"You know mine," she replied easily.

He ignored her question and let his gaze drop, instead he leaned his face forward and his lips tried to find hers. He stilled his movement and his eyes drifted towards hers again when she angled her face away from his.

He hesitated. "Kal-El."

* * *

Ok. So it's not really a cliffhanger… It's just keeps you in slight suspense. I tried to end it as softly as possible, but the scene isn't done yet. Besides, it would have been way too long in only one chapter… God, my scenes are so long… 

Well, as always, I hoped you enjoyed it! Please leave your thoughts.


	8. The Seduction

Hey guys,

I finally bring you an update, I had intended to complete it earlier, but I had extended my holidays longer than expected to spend time with my family back home.

So there you go, the update is purely Kalois and goes further than the previous chapter.

----- If anyone has the slightest aversion as seeing someone handcuffed and another practicing a comfortable and slight domination than you should probably stand away from this chapter.

--- This story is now rated M.

As always a big and special thank you to everyone who took their time into reviewing, I wouldn't be going very far without you guys.

kaysha14, Lizzy (I'm really glad that you're not finding it cliché, it's everything that I'm trying to avoid! Welcome to the addicts!), a reader, cutemara, mysterious girl, lois mars, QuieraStrawberry9, grable, CassandraValentine, BICaRdiBrEeZa, Nora (your reviews always brings a huge smile to my face, thank you so much!), MysticWolf1(its true and the handcuffs is also kind of use to symbolize her state of mind when she's face with him.), CrazyLikeaFox, Kyushu, MissAttentionSpan, CindyB (I have to completely agree with you, and my use of cliffhangers are going to be near inexistent with the next chapters. )

So, enjoy!

* * *

The Dark Dalliance 

Chapter Seven – The Seduction

_x-x-x_

1. enticing someone astray from right behaviour.

_x-x-x_

He hesitated. "Kal-El."

It made her pause and she frowned, displaying her perplexity at the odd unity the two syllables created when they were finally put together. The name sounded distant from her culture, enigmatic and aerial, and easily holding a smooth superiority in its ring. His name could have been dissonant; sounding sharp and stricken with an edge of harshness or sounding cold and spilling in an excess of arrogance, but it held nothing of what he displayed himself with.

He didn't let his eyes drop from hers, even if he wasn't gauging for a reaction. He willingly slid an invisible mask of suppression over his striking blue eyes; shielding his gaze from the things he knew she wanted to see. He wanted at least one barrier between them and a mental one was so much less insufferable, and even more adequate, than a physical one.

Lois pursed her lips at the sudden shift he seemed to be so determined to bare and she arched a delicate eyebrow upwards. "Kal- -?"

Kal-El ducked his head to the side, lowering his face to meet hers in a contact that would never be lace with the decency of his thoughts, and he barely gave her a few desired seconds to sink a breath throughout her chest. He caught her lips between his, claiming them only so he could escape the reality of what his name would mean if he let it roll off her tongue. It seemed like he was almost afraid of how it would sound coming from her; such a stranger to his internal culture and such a familiar to a civilization that was so quick to judge if he felt to lazy to overlook the stereotypes. Would it have been perplexed and biting, serving only to expand that incredulous sense of foreign taboo that came between them, or softening and entranced, being the only thing he wished to rise inside of her under the disguise of undiscerning pruriency?

Her neck arched itself backwards to receive his kiss, evidently granting him his thirst of personal dominance. A traitorous moan escaped the shelter of her mouth and drifted in between their closing contact. The anxiety that searched for deliverance abruptly stilled in her lower stomach, frozen in a state of half-shock, and the impatient sense of anticipation screamed in fulfillment.

Had she really been that desperate for him?

_Desperation… _

A jolt of rage, one that was subdued in its intensity by the ravenous feeling he managed to coerce on her awareness, flickered throughout her chest. It created an overflow of confused tension, shameless and smoldering sensations captured her senses with too much force and they brought her down to her barest of instincts. But that anger, the one standing unbalanced between the edge of fury and fear, kept growing stronger with each movement his lips made over hers.

It was always a duality and she was caught in the midst of something she was afraid to breach… and something she was afraid to leave.

His kiss was satisfyingly bruising. His lips pulled at hers through a series of feverish strokes and they traced hers to access an untamed need of abandonment. He was towering over the slender shape of her restrained body, gaining every possible once of control he desired and never – _never_ – letting any of it escape the momentum he was so desperate to keep.

Kal-El dared to drop his hand from her lower back, indulgingly letting the tip of his fingers brush the hidden skin beneath the waistband of her jeans, and his opposite hand trailed upwards, grazing the arching pattern of her spine until his palm curved over the back of her neck and his fingers grasped her bounded locks. Lois felt his thumb tracing out the side of her jaw with too much insistent and she vividly felt her pulse flare when he locked his position over the hidden palpitation. He accentuated his air of dominance with the familiar position and it forced an infuriating agitation to whimper in her mind.

He held too much control.

A little too vaguely, Lois felt one of his hands leaving the teasing warmth of her lower back and, indistinctly, she felt it come between them to release the futile protection the small zipper of her leather coat provided.

Inaudibly, he screamed for any traceable control and the effects − the ones he carelessly and almost too carefully played inside her − were forceful as they pushed buried reactions and fantasies to that palpable surface.

It was so forbiddingly good that it suddenly crossed a tensing and alarming line.

It couldn't be all good and even if the fever of something that wasn't supposed to be there was all too consuming, there was still something very unsettling and daunting that kept her on the verge of rationality.

He wasn't allowed to do this to her.

Lois yanked brutally at her metal bindings, her gesture being streaked by a sudden shot of involuntary panic, and it caused the delicate skin of her wrists to collide a little too harshly against the cool metal of the handcuffs. She wanted out, but she briefly wondered if it was so she could selfishly strike him… or to effectively pull him further into her.

Kal-El self-indulgently chose to disregard the force of her effort, instead he recklessly strived harder to distract her. The forced caress he laid over her mouth build up a slow and striking torture over her lips and his tongue languidly traced out the fullness of her lower one. He fuelled the tension in her stomach, hardening it into a torrid spiral of liquid warmth that descended straight to her pelvis. He was skillfully able to pull the sensations through every sheer phase of intensity it could encounter and the feeling became so agonizing that Lois rolled her hips into his in egotistical satisfaction.

A low growl broke through his lips at the audacious motion she had started. Instinctively, Kal-El's hand slipped beneath the thin material of her shirt as he palmed the side of her waist and delved his fingers in her hip, he kept her between a commanding grasp and prevented the contact from wavering between their slowly rocking bodies.

Her mouth toyed with his, sucking his bottom lip in an urgent affliction and letting her teeth graze the sensitive skin as an untamed recompense. She was losing herself and it seemed that not even a fragment of prudence could come between them. Their heated and devious haze was becoming heavier, thicker and so impenetrable that they couldn't discern that vital line between suggestive enticement and insatiable thirst.

She was losing too much.

Instantly, Lois tore her lips away from his, erasing the most tempting contact and leaving a struggling pant of a breath linger between them. His face still leaned into hers, unwilling to let their arousing touches fade away and a little too surprise to have registered her sudden exit.

"You can't do this to me." Her words were spoken with a longing conviction, almost pleading between a harsh and trembling pant.

Kal-El exhaled a dark and warming breath against her lips, but his mouth never curved into that infuriating smirk as he let its fullness graze her cheek. "I can do so much worst."

His words created an absolute coil of confused want and terrified anticipation that clashed intensively with the tumultuous warmth between her hips. The sentiments rose mercilessly throughout her chest until they could only add a forbidding excitement to the sultry chaos of her mind.

Through a hooded gaze she saw him leaning into her again, his lips always seeking hers. Another trembling breath escaped her throat.

"Don't-" Lois swallowed unevenly, cutting her sentence out of confusion over what she really wanted to say.

_Stop…?_

He actually halted, his body held frozen for the wavering command she had offered. His lips lingered, dangerous and provocative, over hers and his hands never released their hold.

Kal-El slightly drew his head away and his gaze searched her face in fragile questioning. He licked his lips, a small and appealing gesture, but it was the sudden twist in her stomach that made her breath hitched just a little bit higher when she noticed his eyes flashing under that distinctive and mysterious red hue.

Reflexively, his fingers dug into her hip and his eyes drifted shut to hide his flaring gaze from her. She felt his back stiffened and the muscles of his arms tensing around her as if, just like before, he had felt that fever shot through his spine.

Lois parted her lips and inhaled slowly, almost afraid to disturb him. "Your eyes… They…"

He swallowed, trying not to let his gesture seem calming. "What?" His voice resumed in a low and solemn tone.

"They…" She couldn't really find a word for what it actually was and even less for what it faithfully meant. "It's the second time I've seen them-"

An instinctive and barely quiet moan passed her lips, losing itself in the heated air that surrounded them. He had tightened his hold over her waist, his fingers stroking down the sensitive side of her hip to force them into his in a hardening curve, and his opposite hand had curled his fingers further into her hair, bringing her head back to gracefully allow her neck to arch.

The impulsive gestures he carried out against the position of her body caused her to pull tightly at the handcuffs and she was ready to let out a soft yelp at the tender friction it had created over the delicate skin of her wrists. But her weak cry caught itself in her throat, stilled in blushed foresight.

Still feeling the sobering darkness graze them in concealment, Lois let her eyes fall shut and her lips part to expel a panting breath.

So faintly as if the whispers of foreboding were drawn to him, he let his mouth brush the sinuosity of her jaw and down the fragile pattern of her throat, his warm breath tormenting her skin in its wake. The motions were barely even there, but the startling anticipation of imagining the smoothness of his lips against her flesh instead of truly feeling them became a compelling enticement.

There was also something deeply unforgiving about their position that only added to the eroticism of their situation.

The handcuffs were physically bounding her in a concentrated state of vulnerability and they coerced her body into a straightened and tautened position of near submission. And he was willingly drowning himself in the advantages it offered him.

Kal-El symbolized every unrestrained fragments of a towering and imposing presence. It was in the air that constantly bared his skin, reckless and dominant. It was in his scent that teased her senses in its invisibility, masculine and breaching the confines of dark leather. It was in the motions he carried out through his body, streaked with boundless power and blazing with hard control. It was in the way he held her, so intimately close to him that it flared countless of warnings throughout her veins and so fearfully commanding that he reduced her mind into almost whimpering for more.

It was everything, everything that drove her consumingly insane.

His lips parted over the exposed skin of her neck at a languished pace and he trailed its fullness down the curve of her throat, taunting the flushing flesh in deliberate torture that left her want to scream out in appeasing frustration.

"You feel this?" His words rolled off her skin, quiet and obscure.

Unthinkingly, Lois opened her mouth to answer him even if she didn't want to know her own response. She could either declare her willingness for him to take everything he wanted or she could refuse him everything he was seeking for.

She only inhaled a much needed breath.

Her silence caused him to move his hand from her waist, trailing it downward so his palm could nestle against the small of her back and his fingers could graze over the hidden skin of her buttocks. He pulled her hips closer, forcing them to roll into his, and he let his tongue sink into the hollow junction of her collarbones.

"Lois," he warned.

Her eyes slowly drifted opened and she plunged her nails into her palms, pushing the ache to overcome the agonizing pleasure he laid over her. She exhaled, trying to keep any palpable form of control and still, she refused to answer him.

His lips continued down the path of her chest, always keeping an achingly slow momentum and always assuring her that giving up was never an alternative, until she felt his mouth linger between the sensitive valley of her breasts.

"I asked you something," he reminded her.

Her eyelids drifted shut, almost in a silent prayer for her own control to be brought back… if only he weren't forcefully pulling it away from her.

She inhaled deeply, ignoring that the action brought her skin closer to his mouth. "No," she lied and he knew it, but she wasn't that far gone.

_Not yet._

And finally, it returned, that infuriating smirk that graced his features whenever he indulged too much in his fair arrogance. "Really?" But he wasn't looking for a verbal response.

Lois felt the warmth of his lips pressing against the upper swell of her breast, creating a vivid contrast with the cool air that embraced them. A breathless moan escaped the confinement of her throat as she felt his full lips part over the oversensitive skin to draw it into his mouth. She distinctively felt her pulse flare with soothing satisfaction and she gathered a harsh pant against her throat when she felt his tongue graze down the curve of her breast.

_Too much._

And it didn't last. Without a realistic warming, she felt him tense up against her again. His arms became rigid around her form and his chest rose into hers a little too suddenly; this couldn't be good.

Slowly, Kal-El enfolded his arms from around her until she could regain her own balance. His hands came down over her hips, still keeping her close to him, as he stood to his full height. Something had caught his attention as it seemed he came completely in tuned with every element surrounding him.

Lois dropped her head in the center of his chest and she almost whispered a disappointed thank you to the obscure force governing them. An untainted breath finally passed her lips as she slowly started to recover the senses he had lost to him. A small groan of discomfort let itself known, her arms were aching with an echoing tension that flooded straight down to her shoulders, created by the extended position of elevation.

Lois stiffened against him when his hands resumed their wandering, she felt them hastily brush over her back and over her arms until she felt his fingers brushing against the skin of her wrists. His lingering touch soon faded and relief sprang through her muscles as she felt her arms drop from the metal pipe and onto to his shoulders.

"We have to go." His voice pierced the stillness of the air with its urgency.

Her gaze drifted up to meet his. "What?"

She couldn't even be surprise when he refused to respond, but a futile and indignant cry erupted from her lips when she felt his strong hands grasping the back of her thighs. She inhaled a stunned breath when he brought her upwards and urged her legs to wrap around his waist. Her hands instantly recaptured a familiar position, her fingers fisting in the heavy leather covering his broad shoulders.

He never gave her a chance at adaptation and she wondered if he deliberately enjoyed throwing her off and into an endless confusion of frightful amazement.

Those winds, so callous and sharp, became such a constant in their encounters. They were always forced upon her skin, plaguing and restless just like the motions and the jabs they offered to each other. And now it was the only thing that kept her focus as they came around them to disguise the gateway they always used. They concealed them, throwing them in the cocoon of something that gave them a reason of behave the way they did with each other. They were invisible in their appearance, almost as if the visage they held was too precious to see, but they made it up for it in the way they laid sensations over their bodies; tantalizing, lifelike and so terribly consuming.

His stop become more physical this time as she only felt him stilled his energized motions when her back hit a hard wooden surface. Her lips instinctively parted under the pressure of the abrupt blow, but her chest rose only to inhale a reassuring breath of air that could hopefully sooth out the frenzy disturbing her senses.

Her mind felt vividly lost and even if her eyes had drifted open to view her surrounding she wasn't able to register anything enclosing her. But she could feel him and the dully traumatized state of her awareness. Her head rolled back against the door, her thoughts still drowning in the commotion of Kal-El's actions, and her pulse deepened in its velocity, growing heavier and so much more distinct against her breast that it led her senses to become heightened, only so they could distinguish a reassurance that could calm her.

Lois could feel the warmth of his hands, one teasing the skin of her lower back in its intrusion and the opposite was felt only by the fingers that had curled a little too tightly against the curve of her lower cheeks. His lips, those full and perfect lips… She could feel its delicacy lingering over the sensory swell of her breast and it fuelled her heartbeat into vivifying its pace under the craze of anticipation.

He held his body against her, pleasantly curving around her slender form and expelling the masculinity of his warmth onto to her skin, soothing and so unbearably searing that her fingers dug deeper into the leather expanding over his upper back.

Lois could barely breathe, and he didn't seem to want to stay out in the open.

She felt his fingers leave the small of her back and reached into the side pocket of her jacket, retrieving some dangling pieces of metal that she could only identify as her keys. She heard the turn of the lock and felt the door escape her back. She barely felt him move her in the safer side of her apartment and once again her back was flattened against the wooden door.

The realization that she was surrounded by the comfort of her home came as a grateful reassurance and slowly her sense slipped back into place, carefully dragging every provocative sensation with them. Her breath flowed gradually into her chest, somewhat comforting the tension it held too protectively, and her pulse became a little more superficial, slowing down to accommodate her want of awareness.

Lois gathered a calming breath as she uncurled her fingers from his jacket and trailed them up his back, ready to push him away so she wouldn't indulge anymore in his support.

And that's when she felt them. That casual weight over her wrists.

The handcuffs. He hadn't broken them.

An overflow of a resentful fury abruptly shattered every delicate and provocative sensation she held for him, and her following motions were stripped down to bare her rage.

Lois curved her hands under the bracelet of the restraints, grasping the chains between her fingers, and she yanked the metal link against the back of his neck as her legs released their hold from around his waist and she dropped her heels to the floor.

She dug the chained metal deeper into his skin, bringing his face down to her level. "You were supposed to undo _these_." Her voice held nothing short of her outrage.

He exhaled softly against her lips, his mouth curving in a taunt. "You do remember I'm invulnerable, right?"

She glared at his response.

"Besides," he continued as his hands flew to her hips and he angled his face to the side with a challenging gaze. "I'm not done with you yet."

Her eyes widened. "You arrogant bast-"

Kal-El tore the sentence from her throat as he pushed her back into the door. His strong arms slipped around her waist, indulgingly erasing the space between their hips so they could continue their arousing contact and he buried his mouth into hers, his lip grasping her lower one in a hard caress.

He was always towering and even if that trait effectively surge an attraction, at this every moment it fuelled her rage just little bit further.

Lois twisted her fingers through his dark locks, pulling at them in a useless attempt to have him release his hold. He only bit down on her inferior lip, drawing the lush skin into his mouth in an endeavor of recognition, trying to have her react to him, just like she had when she had been chained up. A pleading moan drifted from her throat, lost in between the translation of urging and stopping. She buried her hands further into his hair, letting her nails graze the skin, as she felt his tongue trace out her lips, demanding them to part for him.

A liquid wave of frightful desire descended through her lower stomach, meshing and coercing her anger to grow blindingly stronger.

She hated him. Hated him for daring to submit her too so many burning afflictions, hated him for plaguing her mind with restless and suggestive thoughts of him… hating him for truly succeeding into making her drown in the attraction she held for him.

She was starting to feel feverish, her skin felt heated, flushed only because he continued the satisfying assault on her lips. And every time his mouth sucked on her lower lip her anger rose recklessly higher, every time his teeth left an invisible imprint on the skin her mind flared in defense and every time his tongue languishingly grazed hers her senses were ready to fall apart.

It was too much. Everything was always just a little bit too much with him.

It was an excess that flirted a little too closely to the lines of desperation and he continually dragged her down with him.

Lois pulled the chain against the skin of his neck as her hands reached to press against his shoulders. Skillfully, and with a strength she couldn't quite understand, she forced her body off the door and further into his chest, pushing him into taking a few strides back until-

She sent him crashing. Even if in the process, he unwillingly yanked her down with him.

He took the entire downfall on his back and she couldn't help but notice how rapidly his arms came around her to protect her from the blow, effectively cushioning her fall with his body.

Lois was never one for wasting time and she rapidly withdrew the chain from around his neck, bracing herself in a seated position over his lap.

"I hate you." The words passed her lips in a trembling breath, never caring if it held a vivid conviction.

Bending her knees to the floor she rose off his lap, ready to ascend to her feet. But it seemed that he had some pent up frustrations of his own.

She felt his large hands grasping the back of her thighs and with a soft build up of force he flipped her on her back, pulling her under his looming body. His legs came to kneel between her parted thighs and his elbows drop on either side of her arms, leading his chest to cover her entire upper body.

Kal-El angled his face to the side, his gaze finding hers and expelling a rare and almost aching confusion. "And you think I don't?" Even his voice had changed, dropped low and laced with too many uncertainties.

Her hands curled in his chest and she stared up at him with an unconvincing determination, her mind was still captured in that sinful tension that tormented them. "You're insensitive," she mumbled in a breath.

"You're infuriating," he retorted, his voice following her hushed tonality.

She closed her eyes, letting her head fall to the side. "You're barbaric."

His hand came between them, reaching for the chain of her handcuffs and tearing one of its links apart. "And I can't stand you."

Lois sighed in comfort for the separation, but she made no move to stretch her arms in order to relieve the pressure it had sustained. She merely kept them locked against his chest, silently letting the turmoil of the night fall off her body as if it had been a heavy sheet of deception and suspense.

They stayed together motionless, both just inhaling the untainted breaths they hadn't really wanted to before as their minds wrapped themselves around the unique and physical situation they had created together.

They claimed to hate each other and a thought of rationality understood exactly want it meant. They hated what the other could mean and what they could bring.

It seemed that for them, hating each other meant acknowledging the definite tension between them.

Carefully, Lois's eyes drifted opened and she let her gaze wander over his face. His own gaze had dropped sideways, seemingly lost in his own conflicting thoughts, and his features were set in a softness she had never witnessed in him before, it was something deep and humane, almost beautiful.

She uncurled her fingers, letting them travel over the expanding muscles of his chest hidden underneath his shirt. His gaze snapped to meet hers and she felt him inhale slowly by the time her fingertips grazed the skin of his throat. Relying on the strength of her abdominal muscles, Lois softly raised her face off the floor and her hands could finally cup his face.

She kept his gaze, searching the blue depths for any trace of his control to shield them, but it never came, a faint reddening hue kindled them instead.

Finally, Lois let her lips graze his a little too softly, urging him to lean further down into her to complete the suggestive touch. She guided his face down and let him capture her lips with his own only when her head had fount the support of the wooden floor. She moved her lips between his, nipping them with too much insistence, and she only added a smooth bite to his lower lip when he groan against her.

Her breath hitched in her throat as she felt his tongue grazing her upper lip, seeking hers just so he could feel more of her, and for the first time her lips parted for him under an unquestionable sensation of desire.

And it threatened to start all over again. The breathless anticipation and the agonizing built up of tension in her lower stomach.

"You have to go," she whispered against his lips, but her words almost didn't hold any meaning when she buried her fingers into his dark curls.

He groaned against her lips, never really wishing for the contact to subside. "I know."

Her tongue brushed under his and she sighed into his mouth when she felt him sink further into her. She drew her lips away from his mouth. "You really have to go."

"I know." He reclaimed her lips between his, leaving an untraceable mark one her lower one with his teeth. "I know."

She felt his presence fade away too quickly as he pulled himself to his feet. His hand came around her forearms, drawing her into a standing position.

And his warmth became haunting again, taunting her body as he leaned into her, just one last time…

Just one last kiss.

She couldn't spare a glance at him as he retreated, taking the necessary step that would lead him closer towards the exit and further away from her.

He paused as he opened the door and she noticed the pressure coming back around his shoulders, tensing and broadening them.

Kal-El never looked back at her. "I still need that information." His voice acquired the decisive tone of his ever-need for control.

He left, this time leaving the careless winds to haunt her apartment and without specifying if he was going to get what he wanted all by himself or if he was going to return to her to have it.

Lois watched the door close behind him and her arms dropped to her side, the bracelets of the handcuff still grazing the skin of her wrists and the broken chain falling in the empty space without the contact of the other.

* * *

Well, there you have it the complete scene, hopefully it felt right and flowed well. I have to admit I got a bit frustrated at the end, but I thought it came out good. 

So until next time, and I will try to diminish the lapse of time between the updates.

Please leave your thoughts, and review.


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